


Beauty Amid Darkness

by MedieavalBeabe



Category: AU Crossover - Fandom, The Duchess - Fandom, Thor - Fandom
Genre: AU Asgard, Crossover, F/M, The Duchess - Freeform, Thor Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-02-04 01:57:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 84,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1762375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MedieavalBeabe/pseuds/MedieavalBeabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.</p><p>Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Good Match?

**Author's Note:**

> Bear in mind I've only seen the Thor films a few times so if anything seems a bit unnatural to you die-hard Thor fans, I'm sorry! Bear in mind this is also AU!
> 
> Also Smut involved in some chapters!

“Something has to be done,” Odin said. 

Frigga nodded in sad agreement. She was closer to her two sons than her husband was; as such she hated to admit any of their faults, even to herself, but there was no denying it. Something dark was taking root in their youngest, Loki; well, it had always been there but now they were beginning to worry that nothing could ever tame it. Now she sat dutifully listening to her husband, King of Asgard, rattling off about how they needed to do something to combat their son’s darker side. 

“Perhaps he just needs a creative outlet,” she suggested, tentatively. “Something that can channel his...inner energy, shall we call it?”

Odin, however, hadn’t been listening to her too lost in his own thoughts was he, and he suddenly snapped his fingers. “He needs to marry!”

“What?” Frigga blinked at him. 

“Yes! A bride from Althrop!”

Althrop was the neighbouring kingdom, with whom the people of Asgard had strong political ties. Years ago, in the times of great wars, both kingdoms had fought side by side and the bond between them was still strong. 

“A match to strengthen the ties between the two kingdoms, you mean?” Frigga challenged. “An arranged marriage?”

“Don’t you see? A bride from Althrop could tame him. Their women are more...” He thought for a second. “Socially refined and witty than our own.”

Frigga laughed, mockingly. “Well, thank you, Odin!”

He flushed. “No offence meant, darling. Oh, you know what I mean. Here the women are all tough warriors, and a woman like that couldn’t do Loki any good at all. He needs someone more toned down.”

“Do you mean someone weaker?”

“Well, only weaker in the physical sense. Strong of mind and character but not a warrior, like...” He grinned, suddenly. “Earl Spencer’s daughter.”

Frigga couldn’t help but smile. “Georgiana?”

“Yes. How old would she be now? Marriagable?”

“Seventeen, I think.”

“Being that her father’s now dead, it’ll have to be her mother we request permission from,” Odin mused. 

“When will the happy day be, then?” Frigga asked. She knew that once her husband had made up his mind about something that there was no going back. True, she had to admit to herself, it could be a good match, Loki and Georgiana, but she felt that to arrange a marriage between them, well, it wasn’t quite fair on either of them. And she couldn’t imagine that Loki would take it entirely well. 

“As soon as possible, providing her mother agrees to it, of course.” Odin paused. “We won’t tell him yet, though. Not until it’s agreed with Margaret.”

***

Georgiana Spencer was running around with her brother and sister in their garden as the sun began to set over Althrop. At seventeen she had no thoughts as of yet to the prospects of marriage; though of course she knew that someday it would probably happen. As the eldest daughter to an Earl, now deceased, and blessed with a natural beauty, it was inevitable that someday someone would “snap her up” as her mother often pointed out. It was something that her mother kept trying to press on her, encouraging her to marry and be well provided for “before I die of old age would be nice,” but so far no suitors had plucked up the courage to propose, not that she minded, of course. She was perfectly happy to be young and free at this particular moment in time. 

“Can’t catch me!” she teased as George and Henrietta chased after her. 

“Lady Georgiana!”

She looked up as her mother’s maid, standing at the top of the steps leading down into the garden, beckoned her. Puzzled, Georgiana ran up to her, all playfulness forgotten. The maid looked rather serious. 

“What is it?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”

“Your mother wants a word in the parlour,” the maid informed her, before turning briskly on her heel and walking back into the house. Georgiana made her way to the parlour where her mother was sitting on a chaise-lounge, deep in conversation with-

“King Odin!” Georgiana regained her composure at once. “Queen Frigga!” Bowing quickly, she added “We are honoured!” Then, turning to her mother, added “Mama, you wanted to see me?”

Her mother smiled and gestured to the royal visitors. “The King and Queen have a proposition for you, Georgiana.”

Odin nodded and stepped forwards. “Lady Georgiana, you have been chosen as a bride for our youngest son, Prince Loki.”

“Me?” Georgiana stared at them, hardly daring to believe it. True, she had had a crush on him in her childhood, but she had never imagined that he might feel the same way. 

“Do you see any other Lady Georgianas in the room?” her mother asked, her smile tight. Her eyes were sending her signals. “For God’s sake, girl,” they were saying, “stop acting like a nervous child and accept the proposal!”

She quickly pulled herself together and bowed her head. “Your Majesty, I am honoured.” Then, noting that her mother was still frowning at her – “Oh, get on with it, girl!” he eyes were saying – she thought to add “Well, of course, I accept.”

Frigga stepped towards her at once and grasped her hands, beaming in relief. A part of her had wondered how Georgiana would take such an abrupt proposal – and one that wasn’t even from the man she was due to marry at that. But Georgiana was an obedient girl and she was grateful for it. “Welcome to the family, then, Georgiana,” she smiled, warmly. 

Georgiana returned the grasp of her hands and smiled up at Odin. “Well, I know I’ve used the word honoured a lot in the space of a few moments, but I am honoured that you thought of me as a suitable match for your son.”

Margaret got to her feet, her hands clasped neatly together. “My husband would have been so proud, may he rest in peace.”

Odin nodded, looking over Georgiana again. Swan-like in appearance, feminine, delicate, but with charm, wit and a certain level-headedness so lacking in the women of Asgard, apart from his own loving Frigga, of course. Yes. She would make a wonderful wife for Loki.

***

“Let me get this straight.” Loki’s voice was flat and refined, almost amused, but his displeasure, for want of a better word, flashed in his eyes. “You’ve arranged for me to get married to some prissy little filly from Althrop and you didn’t think to ask my permission first?”

“It’s about time you had someone with more sense and level-headedness in your life; Lord knows you need it!” Odin’s voice was rough, although he was doing his best to keep his temper. “Georgiana’s a good match for you.”

“Oh, thanks, Father!” Loki scoffed. “A lovely thing to say to your youngest son! I assume you’re not forcing Thor to get married against his will?”

“Loki,” began Frigga.

“Thor isn’t the one in need of some discipline.”

“Discipline? So, you only want me to get married because you feel I need “taming”? Is that it? Wait.” Loki sat up suddenly. “Georgiana?”

“Georgiana Spencer,” Frigga ventured. “You remember her? Earl Spencer’s eldest daughter?”

“You mean that silly girl who used to follow me around whenever they came to Asgard?” Loki snorted. “Who had a crush on me?”

“You should feel honoured, then,” Odin muttered, folding his arms. 

“Honoured?” Loki leaned back in his seat. “Being married to an air-headed girl I barely know and don’t even like?”

“How can you not like her if you don’t know her?” Odin countered.

Loki rolled his eyes. “Always an answer for everything, haven’t you, Father?”

The last word was said with contempt. “Loki,” began Frigga. 

“So, is this to be my life from now on? Every single decision decided for me by my parents?” 

“You should be grateful any woman’s agreed to marry you!” Odin snapped, losing his temper.

“Odin!” Frigga cried. 

“Grateful? It’s not like I asked for it!” Loki snapped back. 

“Well-!”

“And if I refuse to marry her? What then? You’ll banish me? You’ll have me locked up for life? Tortured with the thumbscrews and the boiling oil?”

“Enough!” Odin’s temper boiled over and Loki found himself, and the chair, overturned by a sudden accidental force field. The Odin Force had struck again. Frigga winced, closing her eyes as he clattered to the floor. Any trace of amusement on Loki’s behalf was now gone as he scrabbled to his feet. Anger blazed within him, and so did his powers. Frigga could see that it was only a matter of time before they were both at it; force fields would fly all over the place, knocking everything in the room to its destruction if someone didn’t step in soon. 

“I see,” Loki whispered, dangerously, hand raised. “So it’s marry her or die, is it?”

“You’ve never feared death in your life,” Odin countered. 

“Enough!” Frigga cried, stepping between them. She placed her hand on Loki’s arm and his anger subsided somewhat. It was true, Odin reflected, a woman’s touch in his life was what was needed here. “Loki,” she said, turning to him, “I know you feel-”

“You don’t know anything.” Loki pulled away from her. “Why should I marry this woman?”

“It would strengthen our ties with Althrop,” began Odin.

“Oh! And there was me thinking that it was because I needed “taming!” Loki replied, coolly.

“Loki!” Frigga said, warningly. 

Loki glanced at her. He could defy his father, but try as he might, he couldn’t defy her, his mother. She understood. Surely she would have tried to protest the marriage to Odin, even if she did accept that this Georgiana was a “good match” for him. Though, he had to admit to himself, it could be rather amusing to manipulate the girl. To see how long she could last being his wife before she ran home crying to her mother. It could be fun. 

“Fine.” He faced both his parents, the sparkle of amusement back in his eyes. “Have it your way. I’ll marry the girl.”

***

Georgiana’s heart was racing as she stepped from the ship, her delicate footsteps sounding louder than usual on the stones. She glanced at her mother. “Am I going to get to see Loki again before I marry him?”

“Probably,” Margaret replied, blandly. “After all, we have been invited to stay in the palace for the night.”

“Mama, did you get nervous before marrying Papa?”

“Oh, it was different for us. We knew each other long before we married.”

“Right.” Georgiana stopped to digest this information, letting her mother go on ahead. Then she noticed Frigga coming out to greet them and quickly hastened to catch her up. They were quickly shown to their rooms but informed by Frigga that they needn’t feel confined to them by any means; they weren’t prisoners here, after all, but guests, so they were free to go wherever they liked. Georgiana had the desire to explore anyway. She had a few vague memories of the place from her childhood, when they had sometimes visited, with her father, but they were all blurred, faded, with time. So, she took a chance and made her way downstairs, taking in all the rugged beauty of the place, until she found herself in what appeared to be some kind of conference room. A bowl of apples sat in the middle of a large wooden table, and she hoped that it would be alright if she took one, they looked so red and glossy. 

It was whilst she was examining a carving on the wall, featuring scenes of Asgard knights in battle, that Loki walked, absently, into the room. Looking up, he took in the prim, cream dress and the dark golden curls and recognised her in a second as the woman he had to marry in the morning. 

“Are you allowed in this room?” he drawled, anticipating her reaction. 

She turned to him and Loki stared at her. Oh, no. When had she suddenly become so beautiful? The Georgiana he remembered had been an awkward, gangly little thing, nothing like the fine looking young woman who stood before him now. 

“I assumed so,” Georgiana replied, coolly. Damn it, even her voice was attractive now. “Your mother said we could go where we liked.”

He pulled himself together quickly. “Of course,” he replied, his tone clipped. “That’s so like her.”

Georgiana turned to face him properly, rolling the apple casually between her hands. “So, how have you been keeping since I last saw you?” Oh, she was trying flirting now, was she? “Must have been, what, four or five years, now?”

“Six, I think you’ll find,” Loki replied, determined not to play her little game. 

“So long?” She smiled, coquettishly, although her eyes looked innocent. “And now we’re to be married?”

“Oh, yes, and my parents neglected to tell me that until the last moment,” he replied.

“Oh!” That surprised her. Why was she surprised? “You didn’t...I mean, they arranged it, then?”

Oh! She thought that he had wanted to propose to her. He couldn’t help smirking as he responded with “Oh, yes. Strengthening ties with your kingdom and mine, I believe, was their purpose.”

Georgiana felt cut to the quick, although she hid it well; a quick glance at her feet and then raising her head afresh, she looked him straight in the eyes. “Well, I hope you don’t find me to be too much of an inconvenience to you as a wife.”

“Pray not,” he agreed. 

She took a bite of the apple, her delicate little teeth breaking the peel looked startlingly beautiful against the red glow of the skin. Loki couldn’t take it anymore. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, quickly turning and leaving the room. 

There was no doubt about it. He was in trouble. Serious trouble.


	2. The Happy Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Butterflies were dancing in her stomach as she turned to the mirror. The young woman staring back at her looked radiant in a white satin dress, in a style so favoured by the people of Althrop, and yet a small part of her had doubts. Whenever she had imagined being married, it had had nothing to do with duty and honour. She had always pictured that the man who chose her would love her; that they would tease one another, lovingly; that they would walk hand in hand through whatever garden they owned; that they would look lovingly on any children they had. But something told her that marriage to Loki wouldn’t be anything like she had imagined. 

Her childhood crush was something she was ashamed to admit to herself now. It wasn’t just a question of his looks, although undeniably he had a face that looked as though it were carved from stone, like some marble statue of a hero from Althrop mythology, but more the power he held over all he had hung out with, her included. She remembered one time when a servant had accidently spilled a cup of wine nearby, not on him, but it had come close, and how she had watched from the shadows as Loki had used his powers to rear up a great serpentine dragon from the spilled wine that had chased the poor servant for the best part of an hour around the castle. It had sent thrills through her, knowing that he had such power to do that. She had been strangely attracted to his dark side. 

But now, as she faced the inevitable reality that she was about to marry him, it all felt like some silly fantasy she had played out as a naive child. That marriage to Loki could bring great happiness. It was like some dream that could never come true. 

Be brave, she told herself, looking herself up and down. On the whole, she decided that she looked quite pretty, but would that be enough for anyone to believe that she was worthy enough to be a good wife to Loki of Asgard?

The door opened and Margaret walked in, looking regal as she always did on such occasions. Georgiana quickly turned to her. “Mama, I’m not sure I can do this.”

Margaret blanched. “What are you saying, girl? Oh, it’ll be the nerves talking,” she added, quickly fluttering over to the drinks cabinet and pouring a glass of sherry. “Here, have some of this; you’ll calm down.”

“Mama, it’s all been arranged by Odin and Frigga,” began Georgiana, planning on adding that such a thing wasn’t entirely fair on Loki, to have it sprung on him that suddenly he was marrying a young woman from Althrop whom he hadn’t seen for six years. 

“But of course it has, G,” exclaimed her mother, pressing the glass into her hand and then downing a considerable amount herself. “Well, you didn’t expect that Loki had proposed it, did you, silly?”

Georgiana blinked at her. “What’s so silly about that?”

“Oh, darling, no offence; you’re the perfect wife figure by Althrop standards, but, well, I can’t imagine you’ve have ever been Loki’s type in a million years.”

Another blow, like the one he had delivered to her last night, struck her momentarily dumb. Pulling herself together she quickly took a sip of the sherry and forced any panic down inside her chest. “But, Mama, how can we-?”

She was interrupted as the door opened and Frigga walked in. Her face broke into a warm smile as she stepped towards Georgiana. “Georgiana, you look absolutely beautiful,” she said. 

Georgiana fixed her face into a smile. “That’s very kind of you to say so, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, please, you’re going to be my daughter-in-law now. It’s Frigga.”

“She’s nervous, poor thing,” Margaret said, causing Georgiana to blush fiercely.

“Oh, everyone gets nervous before their wedding,” Frigga reassured her. “I remember when I married Odin I was a complete wreck.”

“Were you two promised to each other?” Georgiana dared ask. 

“Oh, no, not at all. Oh,” Frigga added, with an understanding nod, “now I understand why you’re nervous. Of course it’s been a while since you and Loki last spent any time together.”

“I think the last time we were together was when I was eleven,” Georgiana said, feeling a little bolder to try and make her point. “Loki would have been, what, nineteen? I was playing hide-and-seek with some of the younger children and I tried hiding in the armoury, only for Loki to promptly throw me out when I caught him trying on armour and acting out a swordfight with some invisible opponent.”

Frigga and Margaret laughed. Georgiana managed a tight smile, wondering how either of them could possibly be ok with this arranged marriage when neither of them had ever had to go through it themselves. 

Feeling like an automaton as she stepped downstairs, behind her mother and Frigga, the tight feeling and the butterflies returned to her stomach again. But this was it. There was no hope of running. Surely it would be alright? He had been pleasant enough when she had spoken to him yesterday. Surely that meant that he had mellowed with age? Surely she could stomach that for a lifetime? 

The room had been filled with candles for the occasion and each one seemed to give her a glowing complexion as she stepped inside. At the head of the altar, the priest, a small, thin, wiry man with a rapidly receding hairline, stood, clasping the Holy Book in his hands, and looking more nervous than she felt at that second. To the left of him stood Odin, who gave her a confidant smile and Loki, who had his back to her. Eyes on the floor, Georgiana stepped towards him. 

“Oh, she looks radiant,” smiled Odin. 

“I’ll bet,” Loki muttered, determined not to give in and turn around. It was bad enough that he would have to look at her the second she reached him. Not looking at her gave him confidence; bravery building up inside him until the inevitable moment he would have to face her beauty again. “A perfect match in every way, is that right?”

Odin shot him a look. “It’s too late to back out of it now.”

“Who said anything about backing out? Anyway, it’s not like I have a choice, is it?”

She was beside him now, he could feel her, heat of nerves rippling from her like mist rolling over mountains. Odin moved to take his seat. The priest smiled and then began in his quavering voice “Welcome, all, as we are gathered here to bear witness to the blessed union of Loki of Asgard and Georgiana of Althrop-”

“Why,” Loki muttered under his breath, “does it always take priests so long to get to the bloody point?”

Georgiana, the only one who had overheard it, bit back a laugh, but Loki could feel her amusement. He dared steal a glance at her and then immediately wished he hadn’t. His father was right. She was radiant, like a light in the darkness, and especially when she smiled. She noticed him staring and he quickly looked away, training his eyes instead on the priest’s shoes and trying to focus on his words rather than imagine her laughter. 

“If any man, or woman, raises any objection to this union, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”

A pin-drop silence. 

The priest smiled, evidently relieved. “Do you, Loki of Asgard, take Georgiana of Althrop, to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death parts you?”

Loki took a deep breath. “I do.”

Georgiana bit back a gasp of relief as she shot a sideways glance at him. For a second, part of her had worried that he would try and find a way out of it. But he hadn’t. He was accepting her as a wife, forever. She smiled and this time he turned to her with a slight hint of amusement flickering in his face. 

“And do you, Georgiana of Althrop, take Loki of Asgard, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey until death parts you?”

She nodded. “I do.” 

“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.” The priest closed his book and then gave them both an expectant look. Georgiana turned to Loki, expecting perhaps little more than a peck on the cheek, peck on the lips at most. 

What he did do surprised her. Surely such a thing was best left for the wedding night, but at any rate, Loki seized her against him and gave her such a kiss that left her breathless. Blinking up at him, Georgiana wasn’t entirely sure whether his sudden affection, if that was what you could call it, was genuine or whether he had felt the need to put on a show for Odin and Frigga. Flickering her attention to them, she quickly realised that it was the latter. Still, if this was how it was going to be from now on, then perhaps being married to him wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

Loki, for his part, couldn’t help feeling rather smug as he glanced in the direction of his father. Odin did not look amused. It had been a small, subtle act of rebellion, and after all, he reminded himself, Georgiana was now his wife. As such, he could treat her however he wanted. 

Margaret got to her feet and clasped her hands together in absolute pleasure. Blushing, Georgiana cast her eyes down to the floor, hoping that her mother’s opinion might have changed with that kiss; perhaps now she might think that Loki found her somewhat attractive after all. 

Odin and Frigga got to their feet too. Thor, and his loyal companions in arms, Sif, Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun, remained seated and silent; only the parents of the bride and groom were to stand at this point. Loki calmly released her, and Georgiana prayed that her legs weren’t about to buckle, as he silently, still with that hint of amusement on his face, extended his arm for her to tuck hers through. She did so, grateful of his support, and allowed him to lead her back down the aisle again. 

“I hope you’re not wearing shoes likely to give you blisters,” Loki murmured. 

Georgiana glanced down at her boots, fastened with delicate pearl buttons, as her dress passed over them. “Well, they’re new, so they might, but I’m wearing pretty thick stockings.”

“I’m sure you are,” Loki smirked. 

Georgia glanced at him. “Might I enquire as to why you ask?”

“Because this after party will probably go on until midnight,” he replied, smoothly. 

Georgiana smiled, a small smile without showing her teeth, a simple upturn of the lips. Even that had an effect on him. She pressed her free hand to his arm, earning a slightly curious look from him. “Thank you,” she said, softly. “Thank you for marrying me.”

The amused look returned to his eyes. “You say that like no one else would want to.”

She bit back a laugh. “No, I just meant that, well, you could have backed out of it, if you’d wanted.”

“Afraid I didn’t have much choice.” Sadistically, he shot her another glance. Her face was calm and curious but the light had gone out of his eyes. He was surprised to find that he didn’t like that. When her eyes were lit up, they looked...indescribable but when they weren’t, well, they looked just like any other woman’s. Before he could think of anything to add, however, she said, quickly, “Well, as I said before, I shall try not to be a burden as a wife.”

“I’m sure you won’t be.” It was a small attempt to comfort her but it did the trick. The light was back in her eyes again and she was glowing. And he liked that very much. 

As Loki had predicted, the after party went on well into the night. The people of Asgard seemed to love a good party, as far as Georgiana could see. The dancing had started at about seven o’clock, after the meal. She hadn’t expected Loki to dance with her; she had a feeling that he wasn’t a dancer, but thankfully the national dances of Asgard called for crowds of people to weave in and out of one another, or dance in a circle as a group, as opposed to the dances of Althrop she had been taught. It was rather fun, she had to admit, and the music was rather lively, but eventually she had to stop, not because of blisters but just because her feet felt like they might fall off if she took another step. 

So, she sat now on the top step leading down into the great square where everyone else was dancing, with a cup of wine, watching everyone else celebrate the blessed union between two young people of different countries. Union; why did they always call it a union, she wondered, why not marriage? That was what it was. Union made it sound so formal. Well, it was, wasn’t it? After all, it was an arranged marriage; a marriage of convenience, some might call it.

Suddenly aware that she wasn’t alone, she looked up to see Sif sitting beside her. 

“Is it always like this when there’s a celebration on?” she asked her. 

Sif laughed. “This is toned down compared to what it’s usually like!” She took in Georgiana’s innocent, unwarlike complexion again before adding “You know, I think it’s wonderful you agreed to do this.”

“What? Marry Loki?”

“Try to straighten him out.” Georgiana met her confident look with a frown. Sif’s smile dropped at once. “You didn’t know? That was why this whole thing was arranged. I overheard Odin and Frigga talking about it. They’re hoping that someone like you can tame his dark side.”

Georgiana blinked and then shook her head. “Whatever next?” she said, with a nervous laugh. “At first I thought that Loki had decided to propose himself, and then I learn that his parents have arranged it without his input, and then I find out they have a reason that has nothing to do with strengthening ties between the two kingdoms.”

“I’m sorry.” Sif looked genuinely guilty.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Georgiana replied, airily. “I was raised to do my duty as a wife to whoever married me and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

Sif bit her lip. “Do you think you could? Tame him, I mean?”

“I think it would take a stronger force than me to tame any darkness inside Loki,” Georgiana replied, looking over at the dancers. Her own mother was amongst them, and even Georgiana was certain that her mother couldn’t have known the true purpose of her being asked to marry Loki, she suddenly felt a stab of betrayal in her heart. “You know,” she added, “when I was younger I sometimes used to fantasize about my wedding day but it was never like this.”

“Disappointed?” Sif asked, sympathetically.

“No,” Georgiana replied, truthfully, “but I am beginning to wonder if I’ve made the right decision. And whether I can live with it.” 

Sif patted her shoulder and then got to her feet. “Maybe Loki needs someone like you. Strong of mind, I mean, level-headed. Someone a little like him in personality.” She walked down the steps and disappeared amongst the dancers. With a sigh, Georgiana drained her glass and then leaned back on the step, remembering a time when Loki had been sitting here, and she, in her youth, had come up behind him, looked down as he leaned back and greeted him. And he had been surprisingly pleasant to her in response. Suddenly she found herself wondering if maybe he did find her tolerable, tolerable enough to spend the rest of his life with. Looking back over it, well, perhaps he had been a little irritated by her constantly following him around like a devoted puppy, or a love struck teenager, but then, could she blame him? Maybe now she had changed he could like her a little better. 

“Worn holes in your stockings?”

She opened her eyes. Loki was looking down on her, like she had done with him that time. His face was unreadable but his voice was smooth, so she smiled, rather flirtatiously. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she said. 

“I would,” Loki replied, smirking down at her. 

Georgiana sat up and turned to him, tucking one knee up in front of her, the other leg dangling, and wrapped her arms around it. “Perhaps you’d like to take them off?”

“Perhaps, but call me old fashioned, I’d rather not do it in front of so many people.” 

“And I imagine it wouldn’t be very comfortable on stone steps, would it? A girl could end up seriously bruised.”

Loki crouched down level with her, searching her face, her eyes, for what? “When did you go from being the giggling naive girl to the coquettish grown woman?”

Georgiana smiled, prettily. “When did you go from chasing me out of the room with a pike to kissing me passionately in public?”

Loki raised his eyebrows. “Passion? You felt passion there?”

“Oh, sorry, was I not meant to?” Georgiana teased back. She got to her feet, causing him to get up too, and they faced one another. Loki did his best to quench down the sudden urge to kiss her like that again. Georgiana looked up at him, bold and determined. 

“So, husband, do you still wish to take off my stockings?”

Loki said nothing. Instead, he simply gestured towards the door. She understood; the unspoken response that if she’d care to leave this frenzy of dancing guests, then, yes, he would do so gladly. She swept past him, brushing teasingly against him as she went, and causing stirring feelings inside him that he never knew could exist there.

He had no idea what it was she did to him; but he couldn’t deny that he liked it.


	3. The Wedding Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...
> 
> (Warning: Sexual Content in this Chapter!)

Georgiana felt a rush of confidence hit her as she stepped into the room. The bed looked so inviting, and just as well, after all this was where she and her husband, husband, she still couldn’t get over the fact that they were married now, were to sleep for the rest of their days. It was clear that Loki wanted something from her, the same thing she wanted from him, and even if their marriage was based on that alone, surely it could last? 

It was a relief to be able to get her hair down finally from the elaborate style that it had been set in all day, piled up on top of her head with pins dug so tightly into her scalp that her hair pulled each time she moved her head. Still, she reflected, it was a traditional Althrop style; hairstyles for women of Asgard were much more simple. Perhaps she ought to start styling her hair more like that from now on; it would be a lot less painful. 

Loki watched as her hair cascaded down in a golden waterfall of curls. Even that had an effect on him. Perhaps, and he hoped it would work, once they had slept together he would be able to get her out of his system. Yes, the attraction was just sexual desire, physical lust, nothing more, it had to be. Surely any man of Asgard would feel the same upon looking at her. Yes, he smiled to himself, even Thor had looked tempted by her beauty, even Odin. It was only natural that he should be attracted to her like this. 

Georgiana turned to face him, wondering which of them would make the first move. Loki had closed the doors and now she realised that they were completely alone. No one would intrude on them here; this square room was a safe haven where they could express anything they felt privately and not have to worry. Their eyes locked for a second, her soft brown ones staring into his dark ones and momentarily she felt afraid. He was unpredictable, she remembered. As a child she never knew where she stood with him. Then she reminded herself that he had been the one to initiate this, after all, so she had no reason to be afraid. 

“Would you help me out of my dress?” she asked. 

Loki smirked. “You feel you have to ask?”

She turned her back and held up her hair so that he could get at the fastenings. Suddenly she cursed Althrop fashions for being so complex and fiddly; she could feel him struggling with the knots. With a sigh of irritation, Loki dropped his hands from her back and then somehow, surprisingly, she felt the fastenings loosen and quickly seized the bodice to keep it from falling down completely as she turned to him. Loki simply held up his hand, with a smirk and she realised he had unfastened her dress with magic. Just the thought of it sent shivers down her spine. Then she allowed the dress to fall forwards, exposing the sleek chemise she wore beneath. 

In another quick flicker of magic, the dress was off, completely, and draped over the back of the chair sitting in front of the dressing table brought specifically to the room for her use. Loki’s desire was showing in his eyes and she had a sudden urge to cover herself. Suddenly it was like her battle armour was off and he could see that she wasn’t some great force of nature to be reckoned with, but just a woman from Althrop, not quite his equal. And there was nothing to hide behind. She was like a deer, trapped by a hungry wolf, with no means of escape, and he knew it. 

She pressed up close to the bedstead, her breath suddenly rapid and ragged. Loki came close to her, pressing so close that she could feel every ripple of heat against her own body. He lifted her leg and she watched him slide her stocking off, peeling back the grey layer to expose pale white flesh beneath. 

“No holes,” he observed, holding it up for her inspection. 

“Fancy that,” she breathed, her voice trembling. Then, daringly, she ran her foot up the side of his leg. Damn it, the little minx. She must have done this before, or come close; she couldn’t just be acting on instinct here. 

“If you want both stockings off, you’re going to have to stop doing that,” he muttered, eyes on the floor so she couldn’t see just how aroused he actually was. 

Georgiana lowered her foot back to the floor and lowered her own eyes, watching him. It was arousing, watching him undress her, feeling his hands pulling her clothes off. Suddenly she moved closer to him, pressing her body so close that it hurt to breathe. He finally met her gaze and she suddenly felt bold enough to kiss him; not a breathless, full on kiss like he had given her at their wedding but a soft, timid pressing of her lips against his. Loki didn’t respond for the simple reason that her brief show of affection had taken him by surprise. Blushing to the roots of her hair with embarrassment, Georgiana pulled away from him and looked at her feet, a shy smile playing on her lips. 

His chest felt tight with pressure. It was now or never. 

Georgiana gasped as she found herself suddenly thrown backwards by an unbelievable force of magic, but the softness of the bed broke her fall and she stared up in surprise as he moved towards her. Another whip of magic and this time she did instinctively cover herself with her hands as her chemise landed on the floor. She blinked up at him, curling up her body to try and hide everything that was exposed. 

Loki laughed, softly. “What? Have you got something to hide?”

Georgiana looked him up and down and then countered, boldly, “Have you? I seem to be the only one of us completely undressed.”

There was no putting it off any longer. Loki removed his clothes with another whip of magic and Georgiana cast her eyes along his body, taking in every detail. It really was like looking at a statue carved from marble, completely perfect. No longer feeling shy, or self-conscious, Georgiana dropped her hands and uncurled herself, allowing him once again to see her, bare as a lamp chop. 

And absolutely beautiful. 

It was inevitable. There was no fighting it. However he felt, now, before, back then, in the future, didn’t come into all. All he knew was that he wanted her, right here, right now, regardless of why. 

He moved to straddle her, quickly, as she gazed up at him with trust written in her eyes, large as they had become at this sudden turn of events. They became even wider as he slid into her; perhaps she was new to this after all. A small, soft gasp escaped her lips and she arched her back. He tried to ignore any instincts to kiss or touch her. This was purely sexual, just to satisfy the growing lust he had been feeling for her all day. Once it was over, everything would be normal for him again. 

Even when she seized hold of him, feeling that she might break at any second if she didn’t, he managed to keep himself from doing the same to her. 

Finally, Georgiana felt that she couldn’t hold out any longer. Her arms trembled as they fell back onto the pillow and she let out another loud gasp, partly in pain, partly in pleasure, and her whole body rippled and sang. Loki, for his part, was satisfied, and managed to control himself from collapsing on top of her, instead choosing to withdraw quickly and collapse beside her. Georgiana curled herself up again, aching somewhat, but it was a bearable pain. 

The few drops of blood she had left on the sheet gave Loki his answer. 

“You’d never done that before?” he asked, feeling the need to say something. 

Georgiana glanced at him. “Women of Althrop aren’t permitted to until they’re married.”

“Of course.” He smirked. “Too much of a good girl to break the rules, aren’t you?”

It was a slight but she tried to ignore it and curled up closer inside herself. “I suppose you men of Asgard get the opportunity all the time. It’s like that for them in Althrop too. Women don’t have the same rights as men. A man may “lay” however many women he wants in his lifetime, bed them, use them, leave them and is hailed as a hero for it by his fellow men. If a woman does it, then she’s outcast as a whore.”

Loki shot a glance at her bare back, partially hidden by her hair. She was political. That could be useful to him; it was something he hadn’t bargained on. Watching her move, with each long, drawn out breath she took, he realised that it hadn’t worked. He was still attracted to her, beyond reason. 

This couldn’t happen. He refused to succumb to this notion of “love;” he scoffed inwardly at the word. There was no such thing. Their marriage was all a sham, arranged by their parents, with no input from either of them – at least he was assuming that Georgiana hadn’t discussed the matter with her mother before it was all arranged, although the fact that she had been surprised that he hadn’t been the one to propose it was a clear indication of it. He couldn’t deny she was beautiful, and perhaps not as weak and silly as she had once been in her youth, and now he was seeing that she could probably be useful to him as well, the obedient but political wife, but there was no possible way this attraction to her could go any further than just that; attraction, nothing more. She was his bed-fellow now; it was natural for him to feel this way about her. 

He needed to get out, away from her, clear his head. He pushed himself up and off the bed, strength returning to his limbs surprisingly quickly. Georgiana glanced at him as he got up. He didn’t look particularly strong, she reflected, more lithe and willowy than Thor, who was built like a solid rock, burly, muscular and wide, but she sensed that he was, underneath. She watched him as he collected his clothes in silence and then strode towards the door. 

“Where are you-?” she began, sitting up. “Going?” she finished as the door closed. Her legs didn’t feel strong enough to support her just yet, so, rather than follow him, she flopped back down on the pillow with a sigh. Was this what the wedding night was meant to be like? Did it always end with the husband then leaving her alone without a word? 

Sighing again, she pulled the sheets about her, covering her nakedness. Then, breathing out, the heat filled her again and she reflected on how he had made her feel. Though abrupt and somewhat dispassionate, their lovemaking had filled her with an unexplainable pleasure, and that feeling when it had all exploded with him...he was very well endowed too, she thought, blushing fiercely and then reminding herself that she was allowed to think such things about her husband. 

Then, rolling over again on her side, the pain twinged in her again, but she was sure that he hadn’t mean to hurt her. She had once had a conversation about it with her mother two years ago, when her mother had decided to explain to her about “the birds and the bees.”

“Now, Georgiana,” Margaret had said, folding her hands on her lap, like she always did – why did she always do that? – and addressing her in a formal manner, “the first thing to remember is that it may hurt, a little, depending on how passionate the man who chooses you for his wife, but that is completely natural. And it won’t be for very long. As you go on and get more experienced, it will hurt less.”

And then she had gone on to explain the details, getting very red in the cheeks as she did so, to a fifteen year old Georgiana, who had thought that the whole thing sounded very odd. 

“But what’s the point of it, Mama?” she had questioned afterwards. 

Her mother had flushed even more so. “Well, two things; people do it because they love, or rather, care about one another and want to show their attraction to the other person, and the second reason to start families. And that’s all I’m going to say about it for now. Go on, now, shoo, leave me in peace.”

And Georgiana had gone back out into the garden to join her siblings and put the whole conversation out of her mind. Now as it came flooding back to her, she tried to put what had just happened together with her mother’s words. She didn’t think that Loki had spent enough time with her to develop caring enough feelings for her, but the attraction had definitely been there; she had seen it in his eyes. Then, something else her mother had also once told her came flooding back to her.

“Beware of men who drink, Georgiana,” Margaret had told her. “Drink can do strange things to a man. Sometimes it turns them into complete scoundrels, animals even; and that can drive them into a rather lustful frenzy around women.”

Had Loki had a lot to drink tonight? She had had a good helping of wine, but she didn’t feel completely intoxicated. Had he been? She paused, thinking. No, she hadn’t tasted it on him when she had kissed him. 

She sighed, again. Was he possibly hoping that he could get her to produce an heir? That way he’d have a better chance of getting the throne instead of Thor when Odin eventually passed on. Perhaps that was the reason he had agreed to marry her in the first place. 

Perhaps. 

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. 

Loki, meanwhile, having shut the door on her question, didn’t allow himself to think about her until he had descended down the stairs, crossed through the hall, down a corridor, out into the palace gardens and finally stopped by the fountain. There, after having sat down on the edge, he finally began to question himself – and her. 

What is she doing to me?

How is she doing it?

Why can’t I keep my mind off her?

He passed a hand across his forehead, trying to pull himself together. The whole removing-her-clothes-with-magic scene had been intended to shock her, and he suspected it had a little, and yet he also suspected that she had secretly enjoyed it. All that pretending to be coy, with covering herself up in front of him and then challenging him to undress...

How can one woman make a man feel so bothered and confused and aroused all at once?

She wasn’t even a woman, technically, if one remembered that there was an eight year age gap between them; she was seventeen. Marriageable age, yes, but still, technically, she was a young girl, not a woman. 

So, how can a girl do all this to a man?

Sleeping with her hadn’t worked; not in the way he had hoped, anyway. She was still in his system, on his mind, and he had to restrain himself mentally not to go back there and ravish her again. She was stronger of mind than he had expected, braver too, no doubt, so even if he did attempt to scare her back to Althrop, it probably wouldn’t be an easy feat. Though, he reflected, with a smirk, it would indeed make for rather fun sport trying. 

He let out a sigh of irritation again and folded his arms. If she had just been brought here to be someone else’s wife, Thor’s, perhaps (what a match that could make, he thought, with a laugh) or to live in the palace for some other reason, to be a servant to his mother, or a mistress to his father (again he bit back a laugh of amusement at the thought of it) then she could be useful, for the political side – he could imagine her taking on his father or one of his lords in a great political debate, and possibly winning. And that then could pave the way for him to gradually work his way up into seizing power and the throne of Asgard. As a warrior, perhaps too, her feisty nature could come into play. But as his wife, she was just a distraction. 

He quickly got to his feet. There had to be a way to get her out of his system, and he would find it, even if it killed him. 

She was asleep when he got back into the room. He was grateful for it. She would only question him otherwise; where had he been? Why had he just left like that without a word? Did he not love her? Had she not been good? As to that, he reflected, well, she hadn’t been as bad as she could have been at it; loathe as he was to admit it to himself he had actually quite enjoyed her. The rest of the questions could be dealt with in the morning and he would be blunt and truthful with her; he had been taking a walk, getting some air, clearing his head. He had left without a word because he had nothing to say to her. And surely she already knew the answer to the other question. Love. Of course he didn’t love her; it was certain that he never would. 

Though, he had to admit, privately to himself, he did find her somewhat amusing, always had done. Back when she was younger and she and her family had come visiting Asgard, true, he had found her a little silly, but only at times. Whenever she had spoken to him, he had taken it upon himself to be polite, maintain a cool but pleasant air when around her. She had often spent a lot of time sketching, he remembered, but would always snap the book shut whenever he was around. That was how he had worked out that she had a crush on him. Anytime she sketched something like a building or another person, she would show it to as many people as possible, ask for their opinion on it; she had shown several to Thor from time to time and Loki had often peered over his shoulder. She hadn’t seemed to mind at all then; but sometimes, when sketching privately, she had felt his presence behind her, abruptly snapped the book shut and turned to stammer something along the lines of “Please don’t sneak up on me like that,” or “Your shadow’s in my light, you know? I can’t sketch in the dark.”

That evening when he had been sitting on the steps and she had come up behind him he hadn’t even felt she was there until she had said, in a small, nervous but polite voice “Good evening, Loki.”

And he had turned and smiled at her, feeling the need to when she was being so polite, and replied “Georgiana, good evening.”

And she had blushed and then asked if it was alright if she sat beside him to watch – what was it they were watching? He couldn’t remember now – the show or sport or whatever it was they were watching and he had allowed her to do so. Why not? As he told himself, she was a somewhat amusing child. 

Did she still sketch? 

He clambered beneath the sheets beside her. Feeling his weight shift the bed, she stirred slightly and made a soft, sleepy “Hmm?” noise in her throat as she briefly woke. He quickly took the opportunity whilst she was pulling her thoughts together to distract her from questioning him. 

“Georgiana?”

“Mm?”

He was in luck; she was about to drift off back to sleep again.

“Do you still sketch?”

“Hmm?”

He rolled his eyes. “Sketch. Like you used to do when you were eleven. Do you still?”

Georgiana snuggled closer to the pillow. “From time to time. Perhaps you’d care to see some?”

“Perhaps,” he agreed, blandly. Then, he felt her move closer under the sheet, pressing her back right against his. Warmth flooded in him at once, but he told himself that this would be the closest, and only, contact they ever had in bed, whilst asleep, that is.


	4. An Asgard Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Dawn broke over Asgard, golden and misty. Loki was determined to be up before Georgiana even stirred and took great care to get up and dress quietly so she wouldn’t wake. It did no good in the end. Georgiana opened her eyes just as he was pulling on his boots. Thankfully she didn’t plague him with all those questions he had been dreading of her the night before. Instead she sat up, closing her eyes briefly as she yawned and stretched and Loki dared steal a glance at her nakedness without focusing on her face. Then, sensing her eyes fluttering open again, he quickly turned back to the task at hand. 

“What time is it?” she enquired, stifling another yawn with her hand. 

“A little after sun up,” Loki replied.

Georgiana reached for her chemise, scrabbling at the floor until she felt the cool silk beneath her hands and quickly pulled it on. Loki stole another glance at her as she did so. Her hair was tossed about, mussed, and she looked a little dishevelled. Even so, it did nothing to diminish her beauty. 

He got to his feet. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Georgiana tried one last attempt to get him to look at her. “Tell me,” she said, sweetly, leaning back against her pillow, “what does one do now, wife of a young prince; what do I do with my day?”

Loki did glanced at her then, a brief half-turn with his eyes down on her chemise rather than her face. “Anything you like,” he answered abruptly, and then he strode from the room. 

Georgiana sighed. There had to be some way of getting him to be more civil towards her. Though, she reflected, he probably had more duties as a prince of Asgard than she did as his wife; he probably had a lot on today and her questioning him was holding him back from it. Added to that, it was only their first day as a married couple; it was a concept that was as new to him as it were to her. They would probably get used to being around each other so much in time. 

She swung her legs out from under the sheet and stretched them before getting to her feet. They were steady now and the pain had left her. She stole a half-glance at the sheet she had spent the night on with him, embarrassed, hoping the stains would come out. Then, remembering that they now had their own private bathroom, primitive though it may seem compared to any she had seen in Althrop, she thought how blissful it would be to have a lovely hot bath, completely undisturbed. So, she went to check it out.

The bathtub was carved completely from a single piece of wood, smooth and hollowed, like the inside of a coconut shell and had, she saw to her relief, taps for the water. Back in her bathroom in Althrop, a maid had always had to bring her hot water, but now she could fill her own tub without need of one. There were a few assorted bottles, tiny green glass things, stacked on a small shelf that jutted from the side. She picked one up, pulled out the tiny cork and inhaled. A rich, overpowering scent of the sea hit her. She tried another; that one was lavender. And this one was orchid. And that one some kind of ginger spice. And this one...pear, it smelt like, with eucalyptus thrown in. And the last one, which she took great delight in scenting, cinnamon, warm and homely. She spent a while inhaling it, the sharp, hot smell that made her imagine her home in Althrop on a winter’s day, with her brother and sister and her sitting by the fire and listening to their father tell stories whilst their mother sat sewing in the opposite chair. 

Then she decided what a delight it would be to throw a drop of both cinnamon and the sea scent into the bathwater. Yes, it would be delightfully, she would do that. But first, she decided, she would go to the room she had spent the night before the wedding in and fetch a few essential items. Along her way, she suddenly thought that she would have to bring, or get someone else, to bring all her belongings from that room into the one she now occupied with Loki. Wouldn’t that be a challenge; trying to make room alongside his things for her own? Still, at least then he’d be forced to look at her at least. 

Picking up the essential items, she made her way back to her new room, passing no one on the way. They must all be busy elsewhere, she thought, going into the bathroom. She filled the bath, once again revelling in having the water already waiting and already heated at the turn of a tap. It was lovely to be able to add the oils and watch them froth up into rainbow bubbles that smelt even sweeter when popped. Then, after taking an enormous fluffy towel from the rack behind the door, she peeled off her chemise and tied up her hair with a few pins and ribbon to keep it dry, picked up her book and stepped into the bath tub. The water washed over her feet and ankles soothingly and caressed the rest of her body like a hug as she lay back and relaxed. She always liked to have something to read in the bath. This book was a gothic novel about two sisters; one of whom had fallen in love with a count but was being forced by her father to marry a duke instead, and there was, she suspected, some great mystery concerning their supposedly deceased mother, which would surely come out in the last few pages. It was a new addition to her collection of reading material. When her mother had seen the title, she had simply shaken her head and said “Well, if it gives you nightmares, or ideas that get you into trouble, girl, don’t blame me.” 

Georgiana had protested and rightly so. The novel was written, she believed, to be enjoyed, not feared, and certainly not to give people ideas that might get them into trouble, whatever that meant. She remembered, after all, that her father had been a great reader, a collector of books, and he had encouraged this love of reading upon his children. 

“You can learn so much from books,” he had always said, “providing you take the time to open them.”

So, she sat and read a couple more chapters until the steam rising from the water evaporated and then she set it aside to bathe herself. Doing so, she thought about her father’s words and then decided that they might just apply to Loki. He wasn’t an open book by any means; but maybe she just had to take the time to “open” him and then learn from him, and thus perhaps understand him a little better. 

Eventually the water cooled off and she pulled herself up, dripping, and seized her towel, reminding herself that she could do this again and again and again for as long as she lived there. Hot baths were a luxury even for the rich families in Althrop; but here she could have one every day, every hour if she chose, without worrying. 

There was no one to dress her, but she was grateful for that. Maids and dressers always wanted to talk whilst she preferred to use her dressing time for self reflection, and fastening herself up alone was no problem; she was well practised in tying knots behind her back; it was untying them that was the problem. Either she’d have to employ someone for that purpose alone, or else it would be down to Loki every evening. Or, failing that, maybe she ought to try out some Asgard fashions after all. They looked much more simple, but practical, and elegant in their own way, she supposed. 

Finally dressed, she sorted her hair and having dressed it in a style that was acceptable enough for breakfast, she went downstairs and quickly found her way to the great banqueting hall. To her surprise, in such a large room, only Odin and Frigga sat at the table, eating. No one else was in sight. They were deep in conversation but looked up as she came into the room and both smiled, genuine warm smiles of affection. 

“Good morning, Georgiana,” said Odin, signalling for someone to bring her some food and then indicating a chair. “Please. Have a seat.”

Georgiana smiled, politely, and accepted. “Are we breakfasting alone?” she asked. 

Frigga smiled, sympathetically. “The boys don’t usually tend to bother with breakfast. Men!” She glanced at her husband who put up his hands in a surrendering gesture that said “Apologies, my Queen, for our sons,” and laughed, lightly. “No, they’ll be out somewhere with their friends, playing soldiers.”

“Playing?” Odin shook his head, seriously now. “Practising, you mean. I hope you realise you’ve married a warrior, Georgiana.”

“Yes, I think my first clue was the day I first met him, when he was doing archery practise and kept missing the target,” Georgiana replied, smiling gratefully at the servant who placed a bowl of food in front of her and quickly filled her glass with a yellow-coloured liquid. 

“Oh, I know that,” Frigga replied, “But sometimes it’s hard to think of them as anything but small boys playfighting with invisible enemies.”

Georgiana smiled. “I wish I’d met them at that age. When I first met Loki, he was thirteen; too old for childish games.”

Odin smiled, sadly. “Yes, there’s one thing we can never do; change the past. No one in Asgard has the power to do that.”

Georgiana sensed by his words that he meant he had done things in his past he now regretted, or was ashamed of, and she didn’t press the matter. Instead she took a sip from her glass; whatever the drink was it was very nice, bright-tasting, slightly sweet and fizzy, and said, thoughtfully, “Did my parents visit here a lot before I was born?”

“Once or twice,” Frigga said. “Back then, though, they had to rely on poorer forms of transport and it was before the skyway was opened between here and Althrop. Once that happened, of course, people could come and go from here and to there as often as they pleased.”

The conversation turned then to affairs of state, which was mainly between Odin and Frigga, although Georgiana listened politely, taking it all in and occasionally gave her own input. Then, when she was towards finishing off her breakfast, she remembered something. 

“That reminds me,” she said, lowering her glass. “Could I get someone to help me move my things from the guest room and into my new room, do you think?”

“Oh, yes, of course!” Frigga exclaimed, turning to her. “I completely forgot! We’ll get someone right away! Come on!”

“Frigga!” laughed Odin. “Let the poor girl finish her food!”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Georgiana smiled, truthfully. “I’m done. But it was delicious.”

Then she allowed a rather over-eager Frigga to accompany her in finding a couple of servants who could help move her bags. Georgiana, however, insisted on unpacking and putting everything away herself, although Frigga helped a little when she wasn’t sure where to put things. Upon finally finishing, Georgiana felt a sense of relief at having done something with the best part of the morning. 

“I’m not entirely sure what to do with the rest of my day,” she confessed to Frigga. 

“A Princess of Asgard can do anything she pleases,” Frigga replied, tucking her arm through Georgiana’s with a smile and a sigh of happiness. “Oh! I always longed for a daughter, you know. Of course I’m very happy with both my boys, but sometimes there are just certain female issues they know nothing about and it’s lovely to be able to have another woman to talk to about such things.”

Georgiana laughed, lightly. “I think I know what you mean. My Papa used to say something like that to my brother.” 

Then she let Frigga’s words sink in. 

Princess?

She hadn’t thought about it properly before, but yes, marriage to a prince made her so. A Princess. A Princess of Asgard, no less. Suddenly she felt inwardly grander than she was. 

Frigga left her when they reached the corridor; there was an issue she needed to resolve with one of her staff. Left alone, Georgiana decided to return to her room and fetch out her sketchbook and pencil set. The light outside was just right for some outdoor sketching, although she had no real idea what she would sketch. But she would find something; she always did, and so she set off out into the grounds, thinking how pleasant it would be to sit by the edge of the fountain and listen to the soothing trickling of water as she sketched. 

The neatly-square cut edges of the back walls of the palace would make, she decided, quite a nice beginning sketch; the way the light caught them at certain angles could easily be captured in coloured pencil. So, she did so, thinking back to all those years ago when she used to come and sketch things, and people, in Asgard. Mainly Loki. Of course she had always snapped the book shut whenever he came near and she happened to be capturing his likeness on paper; of course she had. Part of her had thought that he might scoff, even laugh, at her crush on him, and part of her had just felt embarrassed at almost being caught out sketching him without his leave. At any rate, she still felt that now, somewhat; although she didn’t mind showing him any other sketches of Asgard, if he wanted to see them. He had, after all, expressed some interest in them last night. 

So, with this thought in mind, she decided to make a sketch that probably wouldn’t laugh at, blissfully unaware that she was being observed. From a balcony overlooking the grounds, Loki had spotted her sitting on the edge of the fountain, head buried deeply in her sketching, and it suddenly came to him that here was an opportunity to try and shake her up, purely for his own amusement. 

Georgiana didn’t notice the water rippling behind her, twisting into the form of a legless dragon, rising up behind her, but as she was closing her sketchbook, she was aware of a sudden soft drop of water on her shoulder. Looking up, expecting to see black clouds in the sky, she was surprised instead to come face to face with a watery dragon. 

Loki smirked, waiting for her to cry out and run. To his surprise, however, Georgiana calmly got to her feet, still looking at the dragon, and as it roared at her, showering her with droplets of water, she simply threw out her arms and gave a laugh of delight. Then, knowing that Loki must be somewhere nearby to make it happen, she turned, spotted him and exclaimed loudly, with a laugh, “Thank you! That was just what I needed in this heat!” 

Loki drew back from the window at once. To say he was stunned by her reaction was to say the least. It certainly hadn’t been what he had expected. He turned and made his way down there, his mind still focused on the illusion of the water dragon, so that by the time he was strolling across to stand behind her, the dragon was still there, rearing its great head in apparent anger. And Georgiana simply giggled. Then, as she opened her sketchbook, the dragon dived and disappeared into the water. 

“Oh!” Georgiana looked disappointed and turned to him, biting her lip in a coquettish fashion. “I was going to sketch it!”

Loki stared at her for a few seconds before he responded. “Sketch it?”

“Mm-hm.” Georgiana snapped the book shut again. “Capture it; the way the light was broken through all those drops of water. It was beautiful.”

“You thought it beautiful?”

“Well, yes. Why not?”

Loki raised his hand, and the dragon reared again. He marked her reaction. There was no mistaking it. She wasn’t scared by the illusion. Her awe was genuine. 

Well, perhaps she would be scared if it chased after her. 

“Dragons aren’t beautiful. They’re terrifying. Have you never read the books?”

“Yes, but I think they have a kind of inner beauty that can be captured on paper.”

The dragon lunged for her and Georgiana took a few steps backwards, but she still wasn’t scared. If the thing was going to chase her then she was more than prepared to run, but it was only water after all, it couldn’t hurt her. The worst it could do was soak her to the skin, and on a hot day like this, a good soaking was actually more than welcome. 

So when it did chase her, she turned and ran up the garden path, but giggling as she ran, like she was playing with her brother and sister in their garden. Loki couldn’t believe it. She really wasn’t scared. She was acting like this was all a game. 

Georgiana led the dragon around the fountain once, and then, reaching Loki, stopped and turned as it came hurtling towards her, like an arrow shot straight from a bow. But at the last second, she stepped neatly to one side and Loki quickly threw up a force field to avoid being soaked through. The dragon dissolved as it hit the field, rippling and splashing as it disappeared. 

Georgiana laughed, clasping her sketchbook to her chest. Loki all but glared at her for tricking him like that. She sobered up and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “Oh, surely a Princess of Asgard doesn’t need to be afraid of a mere dragon?”

Maintaining his dignity, Loki brushed himself down. “Why; are you expecting a knight in shining armour to come sweeping out of the blue and rescue you?”

“What makes you think that I’d be the one in need of rescuing?” she teased. 

The way she shaped her words, seductively, drew a great deal of attention to her mouth; those dainty, moist pink lips, those perfect white teeth, and suddenly the desire to kiss her filled him once again. Did she even know she was doing that to him? He quashed down the desire. He would not submit to her will, even if she was only doing it accidently. 

“You’d hardly be able to run fast from a real dragon in those shoes,” he pointed out.

Georgiana lifted her skirt slightly to peer at her boots. “I could take them off.”

“But you wouldn’t be able to keep on running. It would catch you eventually.”

“Then I’d just have to fight it off.”

“With what?” Loki smirked at her and folded his arms. “A pencil and your bare hands?”

Georgiana stepped up to him. What an effect that had. His smile dropped and had she been looking closely enough she would have noticed that his pupils were slightly dilated too. “Well, perhaps a Prince of Asgard would be kind enough to teach me to defend myself? Just in case any dragons decide to invade and I get caught up short handed?”

Now that would be amusing; watching her struggle to slice a sword through the air. His smile returned. “If the Princess of Asgard had suitable clothing and footwear, then perhaps the Prince could, if she really wants to learn.”

The wind picked up then, tossing her fringe into her eyes. Before she could brush it back, Loki found himself doing it, automatically, plucking the stray curls away from her face and tucking them back where they belonged. Suddenly Georgiana realised her heart was racing, and found herself wondering if his was too. 

“Would you be scared of a dragon?” she whispered, falteringly. 

Loki frowned at her. “I have a tendency to not get scared.”

“So nothing scares you?” she asked. “At all?”

Loki stepped away from her. The desire to kiss her, taste her, ravish her, right there and then, was just too much. He either needed to succumb or else get away, and he was opting for the later. 

“Nothing,” he insisted, before turning and striding back inside. Georgiana watched him go, unaware that he had just told her a complete and utter lie. Right now there was one thing that scared him much more than any fierce, fire-breathing, bloodthirsty dragon. 

Her.


	5. Ménage à trois?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

A chill wind blew through Asgard that night. For those who were superstitious, it was a sign that something ill was about to befall, something bad, perhaps not right away, but there, stirring in its prime, like a storm brewing. For everyone else it was a sign to “batten down the hatches” at it were; to wear the thickest bedclothes for such winds could get through even the tiniest cracks in windows, and prepare to pick up the pieces the next morning, because the aftermath of such a strong wind usually left some form of destruction to be straightened out. 

Of course, the only way of knowing such things was if you had lived in Asgard your whole life, and as Georgiana had not, she paid no heed to the mutterings of “Ah, it’ll be a chill ‘un tonight,” and “Batten down the hatches, chaps, the wind’s up,” that evening as she went to bed. Some hours later, however, she realised what they had meant. 

Now Althrop may have been the kingdom neighbouring Asgard, but their weather climates were not quite the same. In spring and fall, the nights were fairly pleasant; in the summer they were so warm that most people either went to bed naked under a thin sheet or else slept on top of the bedclothes in full summer nightwear, and in winter, thick blankets and hot bricks were used as a defence against the cold. But Georgiana was not used to such wintery weather in the midst of summer. As such, her thin cotton nightgown did nothing to deter the cold under equally thin bedsheets. 

Loki found himself roused by the feel of the mattress shuddering and for a second he thought that there was some earthquake beginning beneath them. Then, glancing over at her, he realised it was nothing but his wife shivering violently in an attempt to keep warm. 

He gave a sigh of irritation that went unheard by her and then, rolling over, he gave her a tap on the shoulder. 

“Far be it from me to tell you what to do,” he said as she turned her head to him, “but can you stop doing that?” 

It took Georgiana three attempts to form her words, her teeth were chattering so much. “What?”

“That.” He prodded her shoulder, prickled with goosebumps where the neck of her nightgown had slipped down. “You’re rocking the bed like a ship at sea.”

Georgiana made a sound that was somewhere between a half-laugh and an indignant gasp, although it just sounded like an overly exaggerated exhalation of breath. “Far be it from me to keep you awake, heaven forbid you should end up with a wife who would do such a thing, but I’m freezing.”

“You should have thought of that before you put on that ridiculously thin gown,” he muttered, rolling over away from her. 

Georgiana felt a desire to kick him, kick him out of bed if she could find the strength, but her limbs were too cold to move. “I’d put on something thicker right now if my joints weren’t frozen solid.”

She couldn’t even rub her own arms because her hands felt like blocks of solid ice. She wondered, could she try and get out of bed, grab a cape or a coat or something, anything, that might will life back into her numb body; or would she just flop down the second her feet touched the floor? She tried, but it felt like too much of an effort to even move her arms. Could she get up without needing to push herself up? No, she decided a second later, she was like a beached dolphin trying to get back to the sea without water. Her movements only served to shake the bed more and she flopped back against the pillow with a sigh, willing herself not to cry in frustration. 

Loki made a soft growl in his throat and then she was suddenly very aware of him having moved closer to her. Turning her eyes upwards she could just about make out the outline of his face very close to hers. 

“Don’t you dare go reading too much into this,” he whispered, his breath warm on her cheek. 

Before she could ask what he meant, his arms went about her and suddenly she was pressed up very close to him, his torso warm against her back, rippling through her frozen bones. He began to rub her arms, softly but feverishly, calling on the ice in her veins to thaw. She moved closer to him and soon he had her entire body wrapped in his, arms about arms, legs about legs, as he poured warmth back into her body. Soon it was more like being trapped inside a furnace than against her husband’s body and she felt soothed and relaxed, her eyes drifting shut as her breathing became slower and softer. 

The second he was sure she was asleep, Loki released her, being careful not to wake her up again as he wriggled free from her. Sharing a bed for the night with her was more trouble than it was worth, he decided, turning over and waiting for sleep to carry him away too. The trouble was, well, there were two problems. 

The first was that she wasn’t easy to scare out of his life; that incident with the water dragon had proved that much. He could imagine that pretty much anything he tried to conjure up in an attempt to scare her out of Asgard would have the complete opposite effect on her; she would be bedazzled, entranced, captivated by the apparent “beauty” of his illusions, and that would only serve to encourage her. 

The second was that, try as he might, he couldn’t hate this feeling of whatever it was she was doing to him. He found himself even enjoying it on occasion, loathe as he was to admit it. If it wasn’t one thing then it was another; if it wasn’t her beauty then it was her wit and headstrong moral opinions. When they had all been around the table for dinner that evening she had surprised him, and everyone else, with her bittersweet point on the conventional ideas of beauty. 

“Who is to say what beauty actually is? A person may look at something that everyone looks on as ugly or distasteful and find something there worth writing a poem or painting a portrait of. A characteristic it might be but it is also just a person’s opinion. There are many ladies in Althrop that we may call beautiful but then we may be completely wrong in our ideals of beauty. Who can tell?”

It had struck a chord with him, although he doubted that she had meant it to, in light of what she had said earlier about dragons having inner beauty, and then that had got him wondering what she meant by the concept of inner beauty. If a man was born with darkness inside him, was it still possible that someone might just be able to see past it? Someone like Georgiana?

The next day brought a surprise for both of them. When he awoke he found that she was already up and milling about at her dressing table, pinning up her hair in a rather crooked style that didn’t look quite right. Seeing he was awake, she turned and offered him one of her small, simple smiles. 

“I forgot to say,” she greeted him, “thank you for last night. I don’t think I’d have got any sleep if you hadn’t warmed me up.”

Loki shoved the bedclothes off him. “Neither would I,” he muttered, getting to his feet, and not looking at her. 

Georgiana hid her disappointment that he might just have done it out of kindness, but then brightened on the prospect of her bath and pattered off into the bathroom, still glowing as radiantly as her first day back at Asgard. 

“Get a grip on yourself,” Loki muttered to himself, dressing, “she’s just a woman.”

The morning passed considerably uneventfully for both of them; they spent time far from each other’s company to indulge in their own activities. But come early afternoon a ship from Althrop arrived and a handsome young man dressed in tucked-in pantaloons and with a long black coat over his shirt and weskit hurried from it, looking panic stricken. Georgiana, who was sitting on the palace steps with her book, looked up and then her face broke into a smile as she recognised her old friend.

“Charles!” she exclaimed in delight, getting to her feet as he hurried up to her. 

Charles Grey clasped both her hands in a far too familiar gesture for those who were just friends. “Georgiana! Tell me it isn’t true!”

“What isn’t?” Georgiana frowned. 

“What they’re all saying in Althrop. That you’re married. Tell me it’s not true.”

Georgiana almost laughed. “Well, why shouldn’t it be?”

Charles stared at her in shock. “Then it is true?”

“Well, yes. I married Loki two days ago.”

Charles let go of her hands and put his own to his face. “Georgiana.” He seemed to smile, and then ran his hands through his hair in distress. “I don’t believe it. I just don’t believe it.”

She frowned, trying to work out the reason he wasn’t happy for her. “Charles, what is it?”

He dropped his hands. “Why couldn’t you have waited for me? I came back just this morning,” for he had been back in his home county of Fadollon for the past week, visting relatives, “hoping to-to propose. To you.”

Georgiana blinked at him, and then, glancing about her, decided that this wasn’t the best place to be discussing such matters. “Walk with me,” she said, taking his arm and steering him through to the garden where she knew they could be alone. Once there, she turned to him. “Charles, you know you’re a very dear friend to me-”

“Oh, don’t.” He shook his head. “Please, don’t try to make this better by reminding me we’re friends.” He looked at her. “Would it have really been so much effort to have waited a few days more?”

Georgiana took a deep breath. “Oh, Charles, I didn’t even know how you felt. But even if I had done, well, I don’t. I mean, I don’t feel the way you feel. For you. I do love you, as a friend, but I’m not in love with you. Marrying you without love on both sides would be cruel for both of us.”

Charles eyed her darkly. “And you must love your husband very much to have married him so quickly.”

“Don’t.” Georgiana dropped her eyes to her feet. “If you must know, it was arranged.”

Charles made an incredulous sound and spread his arms. “So, you’re unwilling marry me on the grounds that you don’t love me, but you’re willing to marry a man you’ve been betrothed to not on your own terms?”

“That isn’t relevant,” Georgiana insisted, her cheeks flushing. 

“Isn’t relevant? It’s completely relevant!”

“Please don’t shout.”

“Do you love him?” Charles demanded, stepping up to her. His eyes were fierce. “Look me in the eyes and tell me; do you love him?”

Georgiana took a deep breath. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know.”

“The point is that I can.”

Charles frowned at her. “You’re not making any sense.”

“I can love him, perhaps in time; I don’t know what will happen. But there’s a chance I will love him someday.” She stepped up to him. “There isn’t with you, Charles. I know in here,” she pressed her hand over her heart, “that as much as you will always mean to me, there is no chance I can ever return your affections.”

“But why?” His voice was soft and urgent now. “Georgiana, G, we’ve known each other since we were children, and you’ve known your husband...how long?”

“Not as long,” Georgiana admitted, “but we used to visit this place when I was a child, so I met Loki some years ago. Of course the last time I saw him, Papa was still alive, so-”

“That was all of six years ago.”

“I know, and I know you’re going to call me a foolish, naive child for having developed a crush on him then, but-”

“A crush?” Neither of them were aware that, following Charles’ brief outburst, Loki, sitting in a room overlooking the grounds with the window open, could hear every word they were saying. So far he had no idea what this Charles looked like, but he had picked up that they were childhood friends and that the silly fool was in love with her. His pain gave Loki some pleasure, and hearing Georgiana try to explain herself out of it was better. Now he sat very still, waiting to hear what either of them would say next. “G, you can’t build a marriage on the basis of a childhood crush.”

“Nor can you on false pretences,” Georgiana argued, lightly. “Even if I had never met Loki, even if I had married you, there’s no guarantee that I could ever love you, Charles, not like that. You’d end up getting hurt; and it wouldn’t be enough for me, to wish I could love a man I never could.” She sighed and leaned against the fountain. “I can’t explain it. Just...something in him...touches me. It moves me. With him, no matter what we’re like, whether we’re bitter or...passionate,” here Charles looked away so she wouldn’t catch the hurt in his eyes, “it reminds me of what I am, who I am. I am more than just a girl who once had a crush on him. I am a woman, the woman I bloomed into afterwards. But when I’m with you, it’s just like we’re back being young children again, running around the grounds, teasing one another but there never being anything serious in it. I’m sorry, Charles, it’s just how I feel. And I can’t change that.”

Charles was silent a moment, and then he took a deep breath, eyes on the floor. “No. I’m the one who should be sorry. Sorry I ever allowed myself to hope that there was a chance for me with you.”

“Oh, Charles,” Georgiana sighed, desperately. “I wish it could be different. Really, I do. But I can’t help my heart.” 

“I should go,” he said.

“Oh, no, Charles, don’t. Please. Not like this.”

“Please. I wouldn’t want to intrude on your happiness.”

The last word was bitterly spoken. Georgiana felt tears spring to her eyes. “No, Charles, please. You’re still my friend. Please let’s not leave it like this.”

Loki had had enough. It was time, he felt, to intrude on their private conversation. 

Charles finally looked her in the eyes. “Does he make you happy?”

She fanned herself, trying to stem back her tears. “It’s early. We’re still getting used to each other again.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Charles pressed. 

Georgiana sighed. “I am happy just to be married to him.”

Charles looked at his feet. “I see. Then, I must take my leave of you. Princess of Asgard they’re calling you now in Althrop.”

“Charles, wait,” Georgiana begged, taking a step forwards and then halting in her tracks. 

Charles turned, only to almost collide with Loki. Georgiana looked up at him. His face was unreadable, although his voice spoke with a faint flicker of amusement. 

“Have you been upsetting my wife?”

Charles sighed. “Believe me, sir, I would never-”

“It’s alright,” Georgiana interrupted, going up to Loki. Standing by his side, she suddenly felt brave again. “This is my old friend Charles Grey from Althrop, Loki,” she said, her voice suddenly fresher, brighter even than it had been a few moments ago.

“You’re a lucky man,” Charles said, with feeling. “G was just telling me how happy she is to be your wife.”

Oh yes, this man was squirming under him, Loki noted. Fear, that was it; fear that Loki might do some unspeakable evil to him if he thought that for even a second Georgiana had been under some form of discomfort at his hand. The notion made him smile. 

“Indeed? Well, perhaps then, as a very old friend of Georgiana’s,” and here he put a slight emphasis on her name that Charles noticed but Georgiana didn’t, “you’d care to join us for dinner?”

“Oh, no, thank you, really, I have to-” Charles began.

“No, please,” Georgiana interrupted. “Stay, Charles. You’re always welcome here.”

He was boxed in. He would say yes, of course.

Charles hesitated, then nodded and smiled. “Well, in that case, how can I say no? I’d be honoured.”

Georgiana breathed out. Why Loki was attempting to make an effort for her old friend, she had no idea, but she was glad of it. She smiled at Charles, hoping that the dinner might go some way to repairing their friendship, and when it was returned, she glowed inwardly. Then, she noted that Loki was offering her his arm. Even more perplexed, and then realising that once again it was part of the pretence, putting on a show, for the benefit of those others present (i.e. Charles) she took it and allowed him to lead her off to the dining room, with Charles in tow.

Like an eager puppy, devoted to his mistress, Loki noted. It could prove good sport for everyone to watch him squirm at the dinner table.


	6. In Her Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

All through dinner, Loki kept his eyes on both Charles and Georgiana. Though it was clear to anyone sitting at that table that Charles was completely besotted with her, it was also plain to see that Georgiana did not return his affections. For a second, Loki had dared hope that she might. It would be an excuse for her to leave Asgard for good. They could have eloped together and left him to get a good night’s sleep for once. But then her words had drifted back to him; what she had said about him. 

“I can love him, perhaps in time.”

“Just...something in him...touches me. It moves me.”

“I can’t help my heart.”

Why, he wondered suddenly for the first time, had she been attracted to him in the first place? And why did she still feel the attraction now, after all these years? What did she mean “Something in him moves me?” What did she mean “I can love him, perhaps, in time?” 

That would be all he needed; a wife that was completely devoted to him, so in love that it was sickening. 

But then, he thought, perhaps it was only a physical attraction; like the kind he had felt for her on their wedding night. 

The kind he still felt, loathe as he was to admit it. 

And, he reflected, it did give him some slight satisfaction knowing that there was another man in love with him wife, but his wife didn’t feel the same and probably never would. The fact that she was his, not this other man’s, this man who wanted her and couldn’t have her, filled him with a tiny amount of justified pride. 

For her part, Georgiana was glad that Charles seemed to have cheered up a little over dinner, and watching him engage in political conversation with Odin, who seemed to have taken to him at once, she relaxed, feeling that could once again be at ease with one another, like before. 

Her hopes were confirmed when it was time for him to take his leave. She walked with him to the ship; they walked in silence until they reached it. 

“Well, goodbye, Georgiana,” Charles said, his voice more pleasant than it had been out in the garden. He fingered the lining of his hat. “I do hope that you’re happy.”

Georgiana grasped his hand. “We’re still friends, Charles?”

Her eyes were too imploring for him to ignore and he smiled, warmly, returning her grasp. “Of course, G. I’ll be your friend for as long as you need me.”

“Then we’ll be friends for life,” Georgiana replied, kissing his cheek. “Take care.”

She prayed silently as he got into the ship that he might meet a girl someday whom he could love more than her. It was so awkward knowing someone loved you when you didn’t feel the same way, and all she could do was hope that he might get over his feelings for her one day, in time. 

There was also an awkward feeling in her heart as she thought of Loki. What did he make of all this? Had he heard any of their conversation? Her cheeks reddened at the thought. No, he couldn’t have. Or, if he had...oh, heavens. She fanned herself to cool down. The thought of admitting to Charles that she might be able to love her husband, in his hearing, when really it ought to be her husband she told that to; and what if he thought she was just silly? What if he laughed at her? 

Calm down, Georgiana, she told herself. You’re overreacting. 

Or what if he thought there was something between her and Charles after all, when there wasn’t? What if he had seen the looks that Charles had kept shooting her at dinner? Or seen through the way he had said “G was just telling me how happy she is to be your wife?” What would he make of that? 

Would it make a difference?

Head spinning with so many questions, she made her way back to her room and prepared for bed. There were no more chill winds blowing though Asgard anymore, so she felt perfectly inclined to pull on her “ridiculously thin gown” as her husband might call it. Once again she wondered if she oughtn’t to invest in some Asgard fashions, or at least some simpler clothing. What would Loki make of that?

Would he even notice?

Perhaps if she made more of an effort to appear less of an outsider he might be more accepting of her?

He came in as she was just finishing undressing her hair. She turned to him with a smile and then quickly engaged in untangled a curl from the last hairpin. 

“Thank you for letting Charles stay for dinner,” she said, feeling the need to say something. “It was good to see him again.” Loki said nothing. She turned to see that he was busy undressing himself. Suddenly, fear overcame her and she blurted, quickly, “There’s nothing going on. Between us. We’re just friends.”

Loki glanced at her. “I know that.”

“Oh.” She felt relieved. “Good.”

Sensing her relief, Loki couldn’t help responding with “What? Did you think I’d be jealous?”

The words stung but she maintained her dignity. Turning, coolly, her face blank, she nodded. “Of course not.” Then, unable to let the matter drop in her stubbornness, she added “Why would you?” 

She clambered onto the bed, determined not to let him see just how hurt she actually was. For a moment, the night before, even though he had told her that warming her up had meant nothing, she had hoped that he might just like her, a little. 

Why did he have to keep quashing her hopes like this? 

She determined to be up before him the following morning; she felt she couldn’t face what else he might throw at her. A part of her wished that she had kicked him out of bed the night before, but then, she reflected, she had no idea what his reaction might have been to that. He might even have responded in kind. So, she simply got out of bed, without even responding when he woke, ignored him completely, bathed, dressed, and then took up her sketchbook. Losing herself in her art would take her mind off, well, everything. And Odin, the day before, had expressed interest in her perhaps doing a portrait of him, perhaps on a day when he wasn’t too busy. 

Loki, for his part, quickly found her quietness rather unnerving. It was odd, he reflected; whenever she spoke there were times when he wanted her to shut up; and then when she did shut up he suddenly missed her talking. Eventually he found he couldn’t take it another second, and so he went off in search of her. 

He found her in the throne room, sitting on the steps and sketching...he followed her brief flickering gaze and almost laughed. Odin was standing at the other end of the room in a dramatically heroic pose, still as a statue, his face frozen into a rather comical expression with the concentration of not moving. He glanced at Georgiana, as she bit her lip for a second, thinking, and then went back to her sketch. As he moved over her to see how she was getting on, his shadow fell over her page. Georgiana didn’t turn around but she knew that she had to say something, otherwise the sketch would never be finished. 

“I think you’ll find you’re standing in my light,” she said, bluntly. 

Odin, without turning his head, swiveled his eyes in their direction. “Yes, Loki, get out of her light.” He stared off into the distance again. “Georgiana needs to concentrate.”

Loki, fighting the urge to laugh, held up his hands in a defensive pose and then, moving from her light, sat down instead beside her. Heat rose within her but she tried to ignore it as he glanced at her sketch. She was very talented, he had to admit; she was capturing each part of his anatomy in perfect proportion. Finally, finishing the final few lines, she looked at Loki. He raised his eyes and met her gaze. Then, she shifted the page in his direction. “What do you think? Does it capture your father perfectly?”

“Think very carefully before you answer,” Odin added, dropping his arms and then stretching. That pose she had had him standing in had tired out his limbs. 

Loki smiled, and it was a genuine smile to her. “I think you’ve managed it, yes. But why the ridiculous pose?”

“Ridiculous?” Odin bristled. 

“Oh, it’s alright, Odin,” Georgiana answered, looking coquettish again, her eyes bright. “He just doesn’t understand art.” She turned to Loki and patted the sketch with her pencil. “Heroic, courageous; a noble leader. That’s how I see your father.”

Loki leaned back on the step, hands down, supporting him. “Do you always sketch people the way you see them?” 

“Always.” She was doing that thing again where she drew attention to her mouth without realizing it. 

Odin came up and surveyed the sketch. “I like it,” he said, and then as Frigga came into the room, “Ah, wife, tell me, does this sketch do me justice?”

Frigga looked at it and smiled. “Oh, yes, my heroic husband, captured on paper.”

Georgiana beamed, glad that her talent was appreciated. Then, after they had left, she turned to Loki and replied, calmly, not bitter or resentful, just in an ordinary tone, “Was there something I can help you with?”

“I believe,” Loki said, seeing a way to keep her talking, “that you said you’d show me some of your sketches sometime.”

Georgiana was about to reply with some cool response, indifferent even, when suddenly she realised that perhaps, if Loki was interested in something she was interested in, they might find some common ground. She closed her sketchbook and nodded. “Well, my best works are in my older sketchbooks. They’re in our room.” 

She got to her feet and then, feeling his eyes on her the whole time, led the way to their room. She kept her sketchbooks in a special case that looked something like a wooden suitcase, polished to shine, and which clicked whenever it was opened or shut, lined with green velvet. Opening it up, she suddenly thought that maybe now she could show him some of the ones she had brought here back in her youth, no matter what he might think. 

She found the right one, and then, catching her breath, held it up to him. Loki took it from her, carefully, sensing that she might have some kind of fit if anything happened to any of her sketchbooks, and began to flick through the pages. Even in her youth, she had had a natural talent for sketching. There were several of the palace and the grounds; every little detail captured to perfection. There were a few of rooms, or objects, inside the palace, leaping from the page as if they were actually in the room with them. And then there were the ones she had done of people. 

He came close to laughing again when he saw one she had done of Thor. “What was your idea in this one?”

He showed it to her and she peered up. Then, with a smile, she replied “What? Is it the fact that his head is slightly bigger than the rest of his body that’s making you smile?”

“Are you trying to say he’s big-headed?”

“Just a little. And a little careless too. But then, underneath, he means well, I think.” She bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Please don’t show it to him. I think he could be very offended by it.”

“If that’s the case, I just might show it to him.”

“No!” Then she realised that he was teasing her and giggled. “If you dare-!”

But Loki’s smile had dropped as he had come across several sketches she had made of him. He looked ordinary, like he always did, and yet there was a quality to her sketches, like she was trying to bring out something in him. He had half-expected her to sketch him breathing fire or with dragon’s wings or some other dark feature. But no; she had drawn him as he was. Just...him. 

“This is how you see me?” he asked, showing her.

Still on her knees, Georgiana nodded, nervously. Then, seeing that he was simply stunned by her sketches, not mocking or laughing at her, she felt bold enough to add “Yes. It’s the way I’ve always seen you.”

Loki glanced at the picture again. She saw him...like that? Somehow it made him feel humble. He searched through her sketches, his eyes searching for what everyone else saw, but not finding it. Georgiana watched him in silence for a moment and then, wondering what he could possibly be looking for, she asked “Is something the matter?”

“Hm.” Loki made a small movement of his shoulders and flicked back to the first page he had found. Then he looked at her. She met his gaze. He was surprised, and also somewhat curious. Why, she wondered. 

He took a deep breath. “No darkness?”

“Darkness?” Georgiana repeated. Then she remembered Sif’s words on their wedding evening. 

“They’re hoping that someone like you can tame his dark side.”

“Well, why should I draw darkness?” she asked. 

Loki shut the book with a snap and held it out to her. “I thought you drew people the way you saw them?”

With a frown she took the book back. “Well, I do. What of it?”

He studied her face. Usually he could tell when someone was lying; it was all in the eyes. But hers were completely innocent. Whatever she said to his next question he knew would be the truth. 

“You don’t see the darkness in me?”

“What darkness?”

“The darkness that everyone else sees?”

Georgiana looked up into his face and told him the truth, the complete truth; the truth he needed to know. 

“I don’t see any darkness in you, Loki.” She put away the sketchbook, and then, looking up at him, added “I’ve never seen any.”

She didn’t see darkness in him? Where everyone else did?

Something suddenly stirred within him, a feeling he couldn’t describe, and couldn’t ignore. 

Georgiana closed the box with a loud click and made to get to her feet. Then, to her surprise, Loki bent and offered her his hand. She looked up at him in surprise, wondering for a second if there was any jesting there; was he going to pull her halfway up and then drop her again? She had seen people do that before, as a joke. But his eyes were filled with a sudden sincerity that she felt she could trust. So, she took his hand, with a grateful smile and allowed him to help her to her feet. 

They stood, facing one another, all sorts of conflicting emotions suddenly taking hold of them. Georgiana suddenly felt like they had made some sort of connection, a bond almost. Could a simple conversation suddenly change how two people felt about each other, or rather, change the way one person felt about the other whilst giving the other greater understanding? Suddenly it was like she had opened the book that was Loki, and she was beginning to read him; and discover why he was like he was. He believed there was a darkness in him, a darkness that everyone else seemed to see, but she couldn’t believe there was. So she couldn’t see it. 

He hadn’t let go of her hand yet. And suddenly he didn’t want to. Suddenly there was the urge to-to-

He was kissing her before he was even aware of it. Not a harsh, supposedly passionate kiss like the day they had married, but one that was more like the one she had given him on their wedding night; gentle and uncertain. Georgiana closed her eyes, her heart suddenly racing as she entwined her fingers with his and stepped closer to him. The realization of what was happening suddenly washed over him. Slowly, he cupped her face with one hand and broke the kiss. 

She blinked at him, her eyes wide and her breath, in rapid, short pants, catching against his. 

Fear gripped him, fear of giving in to her, and he stepped back from her, turned and stepped from the room in silence, leaving her staring after him and wondering, as he was, what was happening to both of them.


	7. A Civilised Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Georgiana allowed herself to sink onto the bed. Passing her hand across her forehead she pulled herself together and then sat, with her hands quietly in her lap, thinking. 

Loki had kissed her. 

HE had kissed HER. 

And he had been nervous, she could tell. The first kiss he had given her, their wedding kiss, had been fully confidant, and even though he had insisted that there was no passion in it, it had filled with such a thrill, a desire for more, and in that second she had suddenly realised that she would always want to feel like that with him, no matter how rough or resentful he might be with her in future. 

Then, of course, she had kissed him that night. But it had been a timid kiss, one that she had felt was needed at that moment – after all they had been about to sleep together, so surely it was a necessity? Plus she had been completely uncertain of how he would respond to her; he had been surprised, she realised, surprised that she would want to kiss him at all. 

Like when he had been surprised that she couldn’t see any darkness in him whatsoever. 

But now this third kiss – could it really be that they had been married for a few days and only so far shared three kisses? Other people were married for shorter periods and shared many more kisses, she was sure – at any rate, this third kiss had been unsure, but gentle. And it had filled her with a fluttering feeling inside that she had always associated with the notion of first love; like being kissed for the first time.

It was like she had been kissed, kissed properly, for the first time by Loki. She got the feeling that he had actually wanted to kiss her this time. Of course the first had been for the benefit of everyone watching them marry, an opportunity to mock their arranged marriage, and show some form of defiance towards his father for having arranged the marriage between them in the first place. As to the second, well, it had barely been a kiss at all. It hardly counted. After all, he hadn’t responded to her. But now he had shown a natural desire to kiss her. Alright, perhaps it had been instinct; after all they had shared a somewhat tender moment a few seconds ago. Perhaps it had even been his way of thanking her for refusing to see darkness within him. 

But it had been his decision to kiss her, she reminded herself. He didn’t have to kiss her. But he had. 

He had kissed her. 

Suddenly she felt like she had the day she had first met him; that day she had stepped from the ship, behind her father and seen Odin and Frigga coming to greet them. Following behind them had been Thor, Sif, the Warriors Three and Loki. They were younger then, of course, still in their teens, but even then she had been impressed as they strode down the steps in a row to welcome the newcomers from Althrop. Her eyes had instantly landed on Loki and all at once a sudden feeling, like butterflies launched in her stomach, had erupted in her. She remembered she had been unable to tear her eyes away from him for the entire day. 

She had told Charles that she felt like a woman with Loki. But now this last kiss had made her feel like a love struck child again. 

And yet, it wasn’t an unwelcome feeling. 

She got to her feet, her head clear. Something was happening between them, although she couldn’t pinpoint what. But then maybe this was it; what she had hoped for. She had wanted him to show a little more warmth to her, and now somehow she had caused him to do just that. 

She picked up her pencils and put them away in the special case her father had given her to keep them in; black velvet with silver fastenings. As she did so, she suddenly remembered how startled he had been about the fact that she didn’t see darkness in him. Was that because he did? Did he really believe it when people said – did anyone day it? Surely not – that there was darkness with him? 

There wasn’t, she was certain of it, but perhaps because he believed that others saw it he felt that it was there. 

Suddenly she felt sorry for him. 

She waited in their room for the rest of the day. No point in seeking him out, she thought, better to let him come back to me. When it came to dinner, she decided to ask for something to be sent up to her rather than go downstairs, not wanting to miss him should he come back. By the time he did, she was already in bed, drifting off to sleep. Subconsciously she felt him climb in beside her but didn’t wake. 

Loki, for his part, lay for a few moments with his mind on, well, everything. After leaving her alone in their room he had spent the best part of the rest of the day just wandering, trying to clear his head. But his thoughts kept on drifting back to Georgiana. He just couldn’t get over it. How could she not see what the rest of Asgard saw when they looked at him. He knew what they all thought. That’s Loki, the darker brother of Thor, the darker son of Odin and Frigga. But she saw...what? Light in place of darkness? How? To his mind he had never done anything to make her see him in a positive light; well, nothing major, anyway. He had never saved her from anything dangerous. He had never been a comfort to her when she was in distress. The most he had ever done, before they had married, was to talk to her without scorn or contempt. She couldn’t surely base her feelings towards him on that? 

Could she?

“Georgiana.”

She jumped awake at once. His voice had been so close to her, so loud in her ear, and when she turned her head she noticed that, once again, he was extremely close to her, although not touching her. 

“Are you awake?”

“I am now,” she groaned, rubbing her eyes. “Please refrain from waking me up like that in future, unless it’s a real emergency. Like a fire or something.” She blinked at him. “Sorry, what is it?”

“Why did you agree to marry me?”

She frowned. “Sorry?”

“You thanked me for marrying you.” Loki propped himself up on one elbow. “But why did you agree to it? You could have refused.”

Georgiana searched for a response and then, deciding that she could find nothing but the truth, she sighed. “Well...I have always...sort of...liked you. Ever since the day I first came to Asgard.”

Loki smirked. “I know that.”

“You do?” Georgiana was surprised. 

“Please. The way you used to follow me about. The way you’d snap your sketchbook shut when you caught me looking. You didn’t really do a very good job of hiding it.”

“Yes, well, I did my best to hide it.” Georgiana turned over, lying on her back to look up at the ceiling. “I mean...I was a child then. I thought you’d laugh at me.”

Loki was silent a moment. “Your fears were perfectly rational. I probably would have.”

Georgiana glanced at him. “Loki, did you wake me up just to tell me that?”

“Not really. I just wanted to find out why you say you can’t see the darkness in me that everyone else does.”

Georgiana wriggled her shoulders. “Well, it’s like what I said about beauty. It’s just an opinion. Maybe other people can see it, maybe they believe it’s there, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re right.”

“That’s only your opinion,” Loki reminded her.

“Maybe, but does my opinion matter? For that matter, do theirs?” Georgiana turned over to face him. Loki raised himself slightly in surprise, realising that if she were an inch closer to him they would be touching, perhaps even kissing, again. “The only opinion that should ever matter is yours. It should never be how other people see you; but about how you see yourself that matters.”

“I never thought of that before,” Loki admitted. 

She smiled. “Then maybe perhaps it’s time you did.”

She turned over, satisfied, feeling that maybe now he might let her get some sleep. Two seconds later, however, she heard him speak again. 

“Georgiana?”

“What?” she all but growled into her pillow. 

Loki moved close to her, and whispered, his breath tickling the side of her face, “Thank you.”

Then he kissed her cheek. Georgiana moved her head and smiled at him. “You’re welcome.”

He pulled away with a slight frown. “Did we just have our first civilised conversation?”

She was suddenly glad of the dark, for although she could make out the outline of him, she couldn’t see his face clearly and she doubted that he could see hers, else he would notice that she was beaming. “I think so. What did you make of it?”

Loki thought for a moment. “It was surprisingly enjoyable.”

Georgiana laughed, softly. “Now may I please get some sleep?”

She snuggled down into her pillow and closed her eyes, although now she felt more awake than ever. Feeling him lie down beside her, the movement of the bed, she wondered if he felt relieved by her words. Had she made him feel better about himself?

“You’re not a bad person, Loki,” she said, softly, wondering if he was even listening to her. “Being a little different doesn’t mean there’s darkness in you.”

“I thought you wanted to sleep,” he muttered back. 

She smiled. “I just thought you should know.”

Loki let her words sink in. Then he pressed closer to her, close enough to touch. Georgiana smiled to herself as she finally drifted off to sleep, feeling warm and comfortable beside him. 

The next morning was bright, again, and she felt refreshed as she awoke. Though, she also realised, as she looked over at the still sleeping form of her husband, she suddenly wanted to stay in bed, with him, and so she quickly reached for her book, on the nightstand where she had left it, and began to read from where she had left off as she cuddled back down under the sheets. 

“Gervinia,” she read in her head, “couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her lover couldn’t surely be dead. After all they had said, all the promises they had made one another for the future; now they were all shattered, like that time her father had hurled a goblet at the mirror in her mother’s chamber and all the shards had lain scattered about the floor for weeks afterwards. 

“How could you repair a broken heart?

“How could you pick up all the broken pieces and fit them all back together again? And not guarantee that they would only shatter upon movement?

“Mareeta, her sister, moved to her side at once. 

“Perhaps it’s a mistake,” she said, hopefully. “Perhaps it’s someone else they’ve found; not him.”

“Gervinia nodded, stiff as an automaton. 

“Of course,” she agreed, her voice flat and frozen to hide her despair, and disbelief that he wasn’t dead, “it has to be.”

“The letter she was holding drifted from her hands to the floor, like a leaf in autumn. He palms were sweaty, her fingers shaking and suddenly she grasped Mareeta’s arms as she felt her own uncertainties wash over her. Her legs buckled and Mareeta quickly guided her over to a chair.

“We can find out,” she said, desperately, loyal to the last. “Perhaps if we write...get them to double check-”

“They wouldn’t talk to us,” Gervinia sighed. “We’re just women, remember?”

Just women?

Georgiana lowered the book and laid her head against the headboard, closing her eyes. She hated expressions like that, and she hated the fact that there were people in the world who still felt that women were inferior to men. There had been quite a few men like that back in Althrop; thankfully none of them had ever courted her. Even if they had, she would have rebuffed them for sure. Thankfully it seemed that in Asgard, women were equal to men; Frigga and Sif were decent examples of that.

“What are you thinking?”

She opened her eyes. Loki was awake, propped up like the night before, watching her, carefully, his expression unreadable. She smiled. 

“Just about this book I’m reading. It’s about these two sisters living in a gothic mansion, and strange things keep happening; as if it’s haunted or something, but that’s never confirmed. And the eldest girl, Gervinia, is in love with a young count but her father – he’s a very cruel man – is forcing her to marry a duke who’s much, much older than she is. And she’s just found out that her lover is dead, or so she’s been told – but I think it’s all a ruse planned by her father to get her to marry his friend. It seems like the kind of thing he’d do.”

Loki’s expression was blank but he raised his eyebrows at her. “An older daughter in an arranged marriage? Now who does that sound like?”

Georgiana laughed. “That wasn’t why I started reading it. I just love tales of suspense and mystery. There’s also a subplot about their mother; well, she died before the novel began, apparently, but I suspect that she’s actually still alive and that maybe she’s the reason for all the hauntings.”

“A mad woman in the attic, then?” Loki suggested. 

“Probably.” Georgiana’s eyes widened, in sudden delight. “Wait; you’ve read Eira Jakes?” 

Eira Jakes was a novel that she had read in her childhood; about a woman who had been born to a life of poverty but gradually pulled herself up from the slums and made something of herself; although marrying the man she loved had taken time given that his previous wife had gone mad and he had been keeping her locked in the attic for her own safety. She had eventually died when the house had unexpectedly caught fire – an event which was never explained in the novel. Georgiana had never imagined in her wildest dreams that anyone from Asgard would have read it – after all, a wonderful novel as it was, it wasn’t what you might call an exciting, or thrilling, tale. 

Loki looked embarrassed as he pushed the sheets off him. “I just came across it in the library one day. Starting reading it.”

“Well, what did you think of it?” Georgiana asked, eagerly. They had something in common after all; a book they had both read. 

“Rather slow and the characters were rather flat,” Loki replied, getting to his feet. Then, he added, with a hint of wickedness in his eyes, “But I did enjoy the chapter about the fire.”

Georgiana shut her book with a snap and then clambered over the clothes to kneel up in front of him. “Perhaps you just don’t appreciate great literature, Loki. I think you’d like this one. It’s very fast paced; and there are quite a few twists and turns already.”

He wrinkled his nose. “I doubt it’s my type of novel.”

Georgiana smiled. “Well, I suppose I can’t force you to like what I like.” She clambered off the bed, in a tumbling motion and Loki watched her naked feet tumble about, her legs shockingly white as they left the bedclothes, and couldn’t help smiling, feeling like he had the previous evening. 

She was his. 

And he was suddenly glad of it.


	8. "I Missed You..."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

It was getting easier, Loki noticed, to be around her, and to talk to her. Suddenly he was more interested in the things she had to say, and she took delight in him finally treating her in a more cordial manner. Though they hadn’t been fully intimate with each other since their wedding night, it was getting easier to collapse into the same bed together, to sleep peacefully beside one another. He didn’t even recoil from the thought of physically touching her anymore. A few nights ago she had woken with a jolt and a terrified gasp from some nightmare that had her sobbing for a few seconds and he had gently rubbed her back and shoulders and stroked her hair until she had been lulled back to sleep, a comforting motion she had been extremely grateful for. 

Even that soft kiss on the cheek he had given her that night when they had had their “first civilised conversation,” he had to admit, hadn’t been completely unwanted on his part, even though it had just been a gesture of thanks to her, a gift, for her tolerance of him and her inability to see any darkness inside him. But it had also felt right; like it had sealed his gratitude, assured her that it was genuine. 

He didn’t even scold himself inwardly for thinking about her as often as he did these days. Rather he allowed his thoughts to automatically drift to her whenever she wasn’t around, not so much thinking about her welfare but rather wondering how she would react to certain situations or what she was thinking at that precise moment. Did she, he wondered, as he crossed the courtyard en route to where he was due to meet Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three, ever think about him in that way?

Suddenly he was brought up short in his tracks. As if conjured up by some form of magic, Georgiana had appeared on the top step, dressed in a pale blue and cream striped gown and a soft lace shawl with her hair done up nearly and her hat in her hand, radiant as an angel. Seeing him she smiled, almost shyly, and stepped down to meet him. 

“I’m going back to Althrop to see Mama,” she told him before he could even ask. “Would you care to come with me?”

He was surprised she had even thought to ask him. Before he could respond, however, Thor appeared on the step she had just vacated. “Loki, you coming?”

Loki offered his wife an apologetic smile. “Afraid I’ve already got a prior engagement.”

Georgiana nodded, understandingly, and then turned to smile up at Thor, who inclined his head politely in acknowledgement. “Well, I won’t keep you, then,” Georgiana replied, turning back to Loki, and then, laying a hand on his arm, she added with a mischievous smile, “but please don’t be home too late.” 

Picking up her skirts, she turned and walked towards the ship that was waiting for her. Loki watched her go, his arm still warm where she had touched him. Then he turned and went to meet his brother, his face set in a neutral expression. 

Thor, however, couldn’t resist the urge to provoke him somewhat, without even saying anything. Loki shot a sideways glance at him and then sighed. “I know that look.”

“What look?” Thor’s voice was innocent but he was grinning, almost knowingly, as he said it. 

“That one.” Loki quickened his pace so that he didn’t have to look at him. “Come on, out with it.”

“Out with what?”

“Whatever it is you’re about to say.”

“Who says I’m about to say anything?”

“I can see you thinking,” Loki replied, finally spinning to face him. “I’ve lived with you for however many years it’s been, remember?”

Thor shrugged. “I was thinking that she’s probably a good match for you after all.”

Loki narrowed his eyes. One thing he wasn’t prepared to do was let Thor see just how attached he had suddenly become to his wife. “You’re lucky you don’t have this problem.”

“What problem?”

“Having a wife.”

“You call it a problem?” Thor glanced over his shoulder in the direction Georgiana had gone. “You looked to be quite happy with it just now.”

“Happy?” Loki’s tone was scathing. “Married to a girl who used to follow me around like a lover obsessed? Having to share a bed with her; being woken up by her violent nightmares and shiverings? Even being in the same room as her’s a nightmare.”

Thor raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. “So what was all that about just now, then? Smiling at her; not objecting when she touched you?”

Loki smirked. “Have you never heard of luring someone into a false sense of security?”

“Yes, but I didn’t know that applied to your Georgiana.”

“Are we going to stand around and talk about my wife, or are we going to do this thing? I thought Sif was counting on us.”

Irritated at having been almost caught out, Loki turned and swept away from him. Thor followed, shaking his head. He could believe it. Loki did have a sadistic streak, he thought, though it was a pity. Georgiana was alright in his view. What Loki had planned to spring on her after he was through toying with her, he shuddered to think, but he wasn’t about to stop him. 

Meanwhile, Georgiana threw one brief glance over her shoulder as she climbed into the ship, in time to see Loki climbing the steps to meet Thor. She smiled, feeling at ease. Now that they were talking properly to each other, and feeling more comfortable in each other’s presence, she began to think on what they had as a marriage, not a union, nor an arranged marriage, but a proper relationship between two people, of their own choosing. After all, she reflected, in a way, it had been. Both she and Loki could have done something extreme to get out of the marriage, but they had both agreed to it. The way they were now, she felt, they could make it work. 

She leaned back in the ship, wondering what her father would have made of it all. Would he have given his consent, had he still been alive? She knew that after his death her mother had been anxious that her children be well provided for, so had readily accepted Odin and Frigga’s proposal of an arranged marriage between her and their son, without question. But would her father have been so ready to accept it?

She tried to picture the scene in her mind. She could remember her father vividly; his clean shaven, pointed face, brown hair, wide eyes, and the sound of his voice as he told her tales of adventure and mystery on stormy nights. She clung to those memories with every fibre of her being. The one thing she never wanted to do was forget him. 

Would he have consented? To have his first-born daughter married off to an Asgard prince?

Perhaps, if he could have been assured that she would be well cared for. 

She stepped from the ship as they finally pulled up to Althrop. Looking around, she suddenly felt like she were a visitor, stepping into this strange new land for the first time, instead of returning to the place she had once called home. It suddenly felt alien and far too grand for her, and she felt out of place, even though anyone who looked at her would know her instantly as a citizen of Althrop. 

Home, she suddenly decided, was wherever Loki was, and that was the reason this felt so strange to her. 

Picking up her skirts, she made her way up to the house, where the servants instantly bowed to her and admitted her into her mother’s parlour. Her mother almost sprang to her feet in surprise, her embroidery falling to the floor. 

“Georgiana!” She held out her hands in greeting. 

“Hello, Mama!” Georgiana laughed, running lightly up to her, grasping her hands and kissing her cheek. 

“Well, this is a surprise! If I’d known you were coming I’d have told your siblings to stay at home today!”

“You mean they’re out?” Georgiana was somewhat disappointed. 

“Oh, yes, there’s a big military display out in town; you know how they’ve always loved that sort of thing. I remember when your father used to take you all to them.” Margaret sat down in a flurry of skirts and Georgiana sat down beside her. “Anyway, it’s wonderful to see you again, darling. Tell me absolutely everything that’s happened since your wedding.”

“Everything?” Georgiana blushed at once. “You don’t mean-?”

“Oh, don’t be silly, G, of course not!” They both laughed in relief. “No, spare me the details,” Margaret added. “But do tell me how married life is suiting you.”

Georgiana took a deep breath. “Well, of course it’s taken a little while to get used to this idea of being married, but I think we’re beginning to settle. Did you feel like that when you married Papa?”

“Oh, of course, darling, everyone does,” her mother replied, airily. “It always takes a while to get used to being around each other so often.”

“Well, it has felt a bit like that with Loki, and truth be told, sometimes I wondered if he didn’t want to murder me,” Georgiana giggled, “but I think we’ve recently found some common ground.”

“Oh, good, I’m glad you said that.” Margaret inclined her head. “You know, your old friend Charles Grey was here a few days ago, asking after you. He seemed rather disturbed by the news of your marriage.” 

“Yes, I know, Mama,” Georgiana agreed. “He turned up at Asgard.”

“Oh, dear Lord, I hope he didn’t make trouble.”

“No, not a bit.” Georgiana bit her lip, wondering whether to tell her mother, and then decided, yes, yes she would. “He told me that he had wanted to propose to me, if I’d only waited for him a few days.”

“Yes, I’m sure he did,” Margaret replied, her tone slightly stiff. “But I think you made the right decision; Princess of Asgard.”

Georgiana stiffened, her smile fading. “Is that all that matters? Status? As opposed to my happiness?”

“Oh, no, of course not,” Margaret corrected herself, perhaps a little too hastily. “But living in a palace will ensure you’re well provided for, and neither your father nor I would want you living in poverty.”

Georgiana managed a tight smile. “Of course that’s what you meant.”

Margaret shot her a sideways glance. “I’m assuming you’re happy, Georgiana, in this match?”

“Match?” Georgiana took a deep, bold breath. “Why does everyone keep calling it a match? Or a union? We’re married. And the answer to your question is, if you want me to be truthful, yes. Yes, I am very happy being married to Loki and I’m very happy now that we’ve finally found some common ground and seem to be getting closer, and suddenly I find myself counting down the seconds when I’ll get to be close to him again, instead of sitting here with you discussing such matters.”

Her mother blinked and then laughed. “Oh, Georgiana!” She patted her hands, condescendingly. “You really did inherit your father’s spirit! I just hope Loki can cope with it!”

Georgiana smiled a genuine smile this time. “I think in spirit we are well matched, after all.” She thought a second. “I mean, we’re both so strong-minded and level-headed. And when it comes to witty discussion, teasing one another, well, we’re both as bad as each other. And I get the feeling he’s probably just as stubborn as I am at times.”

“Your father would have been proud,” her mother replied, simply, before pulling the bell rope. “Now, shall we have tea?”

Georgiana thought it over as she left; all she had said to her mother, and realised that it was true. In her head she was counting down the seconds until she could see Loki again. That got her reflecting on what she had told Charles upon his admission of love for her.

“Even if I had never met Loki, even if I had married you, there’s no guarantee that I could ever love you, Charles, not like that. You’d end up getting hurt; and it wouldn’t be enough for me, to wish I could love a man I never could.”

But this, this being with Loki, even though she was certain that he didn’t love her, and she wasn’t certain about whether or not she loved him, yet, it was enough, somehow. Telling Charles that she could love Loki, in time, made perfect sense to her. There was every possibility she could fall for him; but none whatsoever that she could ever fall for Charles. He didn’t set her heart racing like her husband did. 

He wasn’t back when she returned. She didn’t know whether to be worried or not, after all she didn’t even know where he had gone, and a part of her wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted to know. In the end she decided that if he hadn’t returned by midnight then she could worry to her heart’s content, and perhaps even get Odin and Frigga to try and find him; perhaps deploy some servants to try and find him and the others, wherever they were. 

So thinking, she set about for bed, replacing her daygown for her nightgown, unpinning and brushing her hair; suddenly remembering that day when the wind had blown it in her eyes and Loki had brushed it back for her. That, she thought suddenly, had probably been when this had all started, this sudden feeling that they could be comfortable with each other, although neither of them had noticed it until that day she had shown him her sketchbook. 

Pulling her shawl back about her shoulders, she clambered into bed and picked up her book. She was coming towards the end of it now; what she gathered must be the crucial dramatic climax, where the twist would be revealed. It was all getting terribly exciting; Gervinia had discovered that her lover, the count, had been alive all along and now Mareeta had fallen in love with his steward, who had fallen for her also, and they were all being held at confrontation point in their father’s hall by the man himself, and the duke; and the two villains were armed where the heroes were not, so they were completely outwitted, nowhere to run and nowhere to hide; all doors and windows sealed and no trapdoors of any kind in this room whatsoever, or so it seemed-

The door banged suddenly and she jumped, shaken out of the gothic manor of her story and back into reality. 

“Sorry.” Loki sounded genuinely apologetic. “Didn’t mean to make you jump.”

She smiled, trying to hide her complete relief at seeing him. “Oh, that’s alright. I was miles away.”

“So I see,” he commented, stepping up to her. “It looks like you’re close to finishing it.”

She closed the book and looked up at him. “Yes. I don’t know what I’ll read next. I don’t have anything new.”

He frowned at her. “You can use the library, you know. It’s as much yours as anyone else’s, now you live here.”

“Oh.” Georgiana smiled. “I hadn’t thought of that. Thank you.”

Loki returned her smile and began to dress for bed. She watched him, shooting looks from under her eyelashes at his perfect body when it was revealed to her again, suddenly wondering whether they would ever make love again, and suddenly realising just how much she suddenly wanted him to make love to her. Perhaps, she reflected, perhaps when they felt more comfortable around each other, they would. She tried to picture it; imagining him kissing her as softly as he had that day when she had shown him her sketchbook, imagining them both touching each other, softly, exploring every inch, every contour in a fiery passion... 

She roused herself quickly as he turned to climb in beside her. Feeling the need to ask, she said, curiously “So, um, what exactly was it that Thor roped you into doing?”

“Thor didn’t rope us into doing anything; it was Sif,” Loki replied, blandly. “A fight for justice and victory involving an enchanted sword she’s now taken for her own.”

“A fight? Like a battle?”

He shrugged. “Not a major one.” Then, glancing at her, he couldn’t resist adding “Why, were you worried?”

Georgiana took a deep breath. “Well, perhaps a little.” She laid her book on the bedside table. “I imagine any woman would be if their husband were in battle; perhaps with the exception of Sif, because she’d probably be in the battle herself.” 

Loki laughed.

She turned to him with a smile. “What? Have I said something funny?”

“Almost.”

Boldly she turned and kissed him, lightly, on the cheek. “I missed you,” she confessed, and then, rolling over, snuggled down to sleep. 

Loki stared at her back for a long time in surprise. She had missed him? The realisation filled him with a sudden heat inside and he spent a long time thinking, hard, about his response.

“I missed you too,” he said, finally, meaning it. 

But Georgiana was already asleep.


	9. Waves Of Passion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

The next morning Georgiana was surprised to find it just the two of them at breakfast. She wasn’t sure whether to be more surprised about the fact that Loki had come to the table at all, or about the fact that Odin and Frigga weren’t around for it. It was so quiet in the room that her footsteps caused her to blush, like she was intruding on her husband’s contemplations. 

He looked up as she came into the room, and the sudden brief smile he gave her caused all her anxiety to fade and she relaxed. “Are we alone today?” she asked, sliding into her seat. 

“Apparently something’s come up that my father,” he said the word with contempt, she noticed, “deemed more important than breakfast.”

Georgiana smiled, politely, at the servant to handed down her dinner, showing her appreciation, and then turned back to Loki. “You don’t exactly see eye to eye with him, do you?”

“You’re finding this out now?” He hadn’t meant to say it harshly, but it cut through the air like a knife and Georgiana moved her eyes to the food on her plate as she began to toy with her fork. Taking a deep breath, Loki went on, drily, “I would have thought that it was obvious right from the beginning.”

She glanced at him. “Why is that?”

Loki managed a smile, and she returned it, much to his relief. “You’re the oldest in your family; you wouldn’t know about things like this. In most families, the younger siblings usually find themselves overlooked by the parents whilst the elders are the favourites.”

Georgiana paused, thoughtfully. “Actually, that does make sense. I was always closer to Papa than my siblings were.”

He nodded. “It just seems like anything I do, any attempt to get into his good books...it’s never good enough for him.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Who said anything about fair? I’m just stating the facts.”

“Does Thor every try to put in a good word for you?”

“Any time he does, he doesn’t succeed. Our father wears armour all the time, and especially around me.” Metaphorical armour, of course, he meant, Georgiana thought with a nod. 

She tried to think of something consoling to say in response, but finding nothing, landed instead upon “Well, then, he must be blind not to see a good thing in front of him.” Which sounded fine in her head but when it came out, sounded like a clumsy attempt not to trip over words that came out in a rushing jumble of nerves, but doing so anyway. Loki looked at her in surprise and she swallowed hard, trying to stem the blushes rising to her cheeks. “I mean,” she added, averting her eyes from him, nervously, “doting on Thor all the time and forgetting that he has another son who’s just as good, perhaps better, but completely forgetting it. It’s hardly what you’d call good parenting.”

How could words render a man temporarily speechless? It took Loki several seconds to remember how to talk. To save face, Georgiana took a quick sip from her goblet. The small, sweet motion of her mouth brought him round. 

“Georgiana, you barely know me and yet you’re adamant about this?”

She liked the way he said her name, with a slight emphasis on the “gia” part and the rest said in softness. “I wouldn’t say I barely knew you. We’ve seen each other since I was...what? You were thirteen when we first met, so I’d have been five. I know we’re still getting used to each other again but...I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like I know you.”

The “sometimes” part surprised him more than the admission of knowing him. “And other times?” he prompted. 

She bit her lip. “You can be unpredictable sometimes.”

“Now you sound like Thor,” he muttered, pushing his chair back and getting to his feet. 

“It’s true,” she insisted, feeling slightly indignant at being compared to someone she had always considered to be something of a big-head. “I mean, I don’t always know where I stand with you.”

Was saying that better or worse?

“Are you actually basing that one anything?” Loki asked, facing her.

“Well, this.” She gestured at the space between them across the table.

He frowned. “What?”

“Well, us.” Her breakfast done with, Georgiana got to her feet too, pressing her palms on the table and leaning forwards. “One minute we’re abrupt and brisk with each other, and the next-”

“By “we,” you mean me?” he challenged. 

She sighed. “Well, maybe. But the point is,” she hurried onwards, quickly, giving him less time to reflect on her words, “one second we’re like that and the next we’re like this.” She indicated the space between them again. “Like a barrier’s been dropped or something.”

“Well, you said it yourself,” Loki pointed out, not wishing to admit that she kept having an effect on him that made him treat her with a little more, for want of a better word, kindness. “We’re getting used to each other again.”

“Maybe,” she agreed, without thinking, “but then I wonder when we’re going to-” She broke off but the damage was done. 

Loki frowned at her “Going to what?”

She tried to think of a way out of what she’d been about to say. “I meant to say “if.” If we’re going to end up back where we started from. The whole awkwardness, abrupt, brisk thing, I mean.”

Loki scanned her eyes darkly, narrowing his own. “You’re lying.”

“Loki-”

“What were you about to say?”

“Does it matter?”

“Tell me!”

She jumped, visibly, all trace of her bright happiness shattered. Wishing she hadn’t said anything at all by this time, she admitted “Going to start tearing each other apart, I was going to say. Forget it. It was so stupid of me. I didn’t think-”

“Meaning me again?” 

“No!”

“Stop lying to me!” Suddenly he was beside her, she hadn’t even seen him move, his hand on her wrist. Suddenly she was frightened of him, for the first time in her life. “All that talk of not seeing darkness in me,” he hissed into her startled face, “was that just lies too?”

“No!” She tried to wrench her arm free. “You’re being ridiculous! And I didn’t mean you! I just know that it happens sometimes in marriages! Awkwardness, pleasantness and then the tearing each other apart; it happened to my parents!”

“I’ll bet it did!” He gave her a little shake. “Do you see the darkness now, Georgiana? When it’s standing right in front of you? Do you see it?”

She brought up her free hand and slapped him. It was all she could think of to do in that second, but it did the trick. He released her, almost knocked off his feet by her blow. Georgiana faced him with her most defiant look. “No,” she responded, coolly and truthfully. “But I see a man who needs to start trusting his own feelings and not what everyone else thinks of him!”

Then, lest he grab her again, she turned, picking up her skirts and fled from the room. Rushing up to the bedroom put as much distance between the two of them as she wanted. Leaning against the door, she felt like kicking herself. 

“It’s your fault,” she scolded herself, feeling tears rush to her eyes. “Your stupid, stupid fault, Georgiana! Why can’t you ever learn to leave things be?”

Her wrist ached slightly, it was probably bruised, she noted; her skin bruised easily. Trying to ignore it she moved over to her sketch box, falling to her knees and fumbling with the catch. But her hands were shaking too much and when she failed to get it open she dropped it and fell on her hands and knees in a series of sobs. 

Loki, for his part, hadn’t moved from the spot she’d left him in. Her slap had stung but not as much as the look of terror on her face when he had held her like that. Why had he done that? Why had he suddenly lost his temper like that with her? He cursed himself inwardly. What was he thinking of; trying to scare away the one person who saw some kind of good in him; the only thing that was currently keeping him sane? 

Finally allowing himself to lean on the table, he ran a hand through his hair. The motion calmed him as he took a deep breath. He wasn’t angry now. He had over-reacted. Georgiana was perfectly justified in her fears; he had just proved as much. He needed to tell her that.

A servant came in behind him. “Is everything done with, sir?” he asked. 

Loki had no desire to even answer the man, so he caused the snake patterns on the jug the poor servant was carrying to become actual snakes as he left the room, the terrified yell giving him some small degree of satisfaction. He made for the bedroom, where he knew she would have sought refuge. Should he knock? No, why should he; they shared the room, after all. 

To his surprise she was down on her hands and knees in floods of tears. Had he hurt her more than he had imagined? 

“Georgiana?” When she didn’t respond, he quickly walked up to her. She didn’t look at him. Gently he put his hands on her arms and pulled her slowly to her feet. “I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it. 

She turned and then, to his surprise, flung herself into his arms and wept against his chest. He folded his arms around her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Seeing her upset was horrible, and knowing that he was the cause of her upset was even worse. Finally, wiping her eyes, she took a deep breath and looked up at him. “I’m sorry too,” she said, her voice thick. 

Once again her hair was in her face, and once again he brushed it out of her eyes. She looked up at him, her eyes trusting and calm again. Without letting go of her, he kissed her, gently at first and then throwing all of his emotions into it. Georgiana let her eyes flutter shut as she clung onto him and then kissed him back. Now she could register passion there; he couldn’t deny that. Holding her close with one arm, Loki brought his hand up to cup her face and tilt her head, gaining better access to her mouth. She tasted sweet and innocent, a taste he was craving. 

Eventually they parted and stood, breathless, eyes closed, revelling in the taste of the other. Then, Georgiana dared press closer to him, causing him to open his eyes. 

“See?” she whispered, softly. “Unpredictable.”

He didn’t take offence this time, merely smiled. “I’m not the only one.”

She reached up and kissed him again. Clinging to each other, hearts racing, they allowed their sudden passion to take the lead. It was like the lights had suddenly been switched on for both of them; suddenly they were seeing each other, and themselves, in a new light. 

Their clothes hit the floor in a flurry of fabric as they hurried to undress one another. Fully naked, locked together in passionate embrace, they touched one another, stroking fingertips over smooth skin before tumbling onto the bed together. Georgiana couldn’t help wondering, as they began to move, if this was what it was like for other people on their wedding nights? Now it was suddenly like they were having theirs for the first time. It outshone the actual night they had spent together then tenfold. 

This time he allowed himself to collapse on top of her, and this time, when he rolled off her, he pulled her with him. 

Breathlessly, Georgiana clung to him, her body warm against him. “That was...” she took a deep breath, “better than our wedding night.”

Loki glanced at the top of her head, pressed down on his chest. “I’m sorry if I hurt you then,” he said, meaning it. “I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s alright.” She smiled. “Mama said it was normal.”

Normal it may have been, but he still felt bad for it. He glanced at her arm. To his shock her wrist was sporting slight purple bruises where he had held her. He took it, gently, pressed kisses to the inside. “I hurt you just now,” he stated.

“Really, it’s fine,” she insisted. “It didn’t hurt. I just bruise easily.”

Loki sighed, running his fingers deftly along her back. How could you put feelings into words? Everything, just now, with her, was different to how he had felt on their wedding night, and certainly a million more times different than the day he had first met her? How did you explain all of that to someone; all those different feelings that all melted into one? All that he was aware of was that suddenly, some point between marrying her and this second in time, he had come to like her a lot; and she had come to mean a lot to him. If Asgard were attacked (and that happened more often than you might expect) by Frost Giants, or something worse, he knew instantly that she would be first in his thoughts; the first thing he would protect. 

“Georgiana?”

“Mm?”

“I really wouldn’t worry about us tearing each other apart if I were you.”

Georgiana looked up at him. “I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t even know what I was thinking. It was like my mind was driving at full speed and I couldn’t find the brake.”

“No, I can understand it.” He glanced down at her. “I’ve not exactly been good to you right from the beginning.”

“You were alright.”

“No, there were times when I treated you like an idiot.”

She almost giggled. “I can be sometimes. Anyway, I can understand that; the way I used to trail after you like a lost puppy, must have been very annoying.”

“You’re too understanding,” Loki replied, mildly. 

He didn’t deserve her, he told himself. She was too good, too kind, too gentle for his rough, untender, sometimes callous nature. She was a beam of light, a candle in the midst of a blizzard at night. One swift blow could put her out, destroy her completely. 

She cuddled up closer to him. “Loki, I told you before. You’re not a bad person.”

“I’m not good,” he countered. 

“Who wants good? If I had, I’d have married Thor.”

“If he’d been the one you’d been promised to.”

“I think that would be unbearable.” She stifled a yawn. “At least with you there’s the chance of intelligent conversation.”

Loki allowed himself to laugh. “That’s probably the best thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

She remembered what he had said, about Odin. She couldn’t imagine Odin neglecting him on purpose, and yet, and yet he was always so sharp with Loki, so dismissive of him, as if he were always a disappointment to him. She had never noticed it before but now it all seemed so clear to her. Of course Thor was the favoured child and Loki was the one always left on the sidelines. 

A great rush of affection for him swelled up in her heart, alongside a feeling of sudden bitterness for Odin, and Thor, and even Frigga, because she was probably blinded too much by her love for Odin to notice what he did to Loki.

“Even,” she decided, “if I’d had my pick of you and Thor, I’d choose you, Loki.” He glanced at her and she smiled. “Every time.”


	10. This Sudden Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Loki opened his eyes. How long had they been asleep for? Georgiana had drifted shortly after her admission of attraction to him and he had been quick to follow. It had been rather more comfortable than he had imagined, falling asleep with her in his arms. He stole a glance at the open window, the wind lifting the net curtains slightly, like ghosts rising in the morning mist. It was always easy to tell what the time was in Asgard with a quick glance at the sky. Now the sun was considerably higher than it had been at breakfast. 

“Georgiana?” He said it softly, and when she didn’t stir, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a little shake, a gentle one, just to rouse her. “Georgiana?” he repeated. 

With a small sleepy murmur of “Hm?” in her throat, Georgiana opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly, blinking at him. 

“We’ve been asleep for four hours,” Loki informed her. 

She allowed this information to sink in and then smiled at him. “So long?”

Actually, to be perfectly honest, neither of them wanted to get out of bed at that moment, but it would look strange to everyone else who had seen them that morning to find that they had gone back to bed. To Loki’s knowledge, bedding your spouse was usually something best left to the night rather than the day, in Asgard at any rate. It made him smile inwardly to think that they might be breaking that rule. 

Georgiana brushed her hair out of her eyes and pushed herself up, slightly. Loki allowed his hand to linger at her back. It was strange, he thought; several days ago the thought of touching her like this had, not repulsed him as such, but certainly hadn’t appealed to him. Now, however, he couldn’t believe that he had ever felt like that. He was beginning to understand why that foolish Charles Grey had lost his heart to her. Any man could, and not just because of her beauty; which was all that he suspected Charles had fallen for. Georgiana had spirit, the kind typical of most Asgardian women, but she was also clever, strong-minded and witty. His parents had been right about her, he reflected, with an inward sigh. 

“I suppose,” Georgiana said, in a tone of complete reluctance, “we really ought to get up.”

He had to admit that she was right. Resisting the urge to pull her back onto the bed and make love to her again, Loki finally dropped his hand from her back. “I suppose you’re right,” he agreed. 

She turned to him, her hair tumbling slowly back into place and a smile playing on her lips. “Do I detect a note of reluctance there?”

He returned her smile, feeling proud once again that she was his, his and nobody else’s. “The same note of reluctance in your voice, you mean?”

She laughed, softly, acknowledging that this was so. “I don’t suppose there’s actually anything we need to get up for, is there?”

He thought for a second. “Perhaps not.”

“Though it would look odd if we didn’t turn up for lunch, I suppose.”

“Are you hungry?”

“No. Are you?”

“No.”

She laughed again and flopped back onto her pillow. Part of her longed to ask him what was going on; why suddenly this had happened. But then there was also a part of her that didn’t want to know. What did it matter, all of a sudden, that the tension between them seemed to have evaporated into thin air, and that all that was left was this sudden urge to be close to each other? Did this, she wondered suddenly, happen with all arranged marriages? Did everyone who went through it begin with this same tension towards their partner and then suddenly find a comfortable moment like this? 

Her thoughts were interrupted as Loki shifted beside her on the bed. Turning to him, she smiled and then welcomed his kiss. It was just as gentle and passionate as several hours ago, and just as welcome. It suddenly occurred to her that he wanted to kiss her like this just as much as she wanted him to. She could forgive him anything now; their argument earlier, his bruising her arm, anything, now that he suddenly wanted her. 

“I don’t deserve you,” Loki murmured, breaking the kiss. 

“No,” Georgiana murmured back, causing him to look at her. “But I’m afraid you’re stuck with me,” she added, her eyes shining. 

Loki bit back a laugh. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know what you meant.” Georgiana wrapped her arms around him. “And, as your wife, I must ask that you stop putting yourself down in front of me. I’m never going to see you as anything but the man I always liked.”

He still couldn’t get over that. How could she not see what the rest of the world did? But she was right, he thought. No matter how many times he told her that there was darkness in him, and even now he still believed that there was, she refused to see it, she couldn’t see it. The incident downstairs had proved that much. He must not lose his temper like that with her again, he told himself; she didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve him; she could have married someone better, someone like that idiotic Charles Grey who would have treated her with the kindness and respect she deserved right from the start. She could have fought against the demands of her mother and his parents, the request that she become his wife, if she had wanted to; she could have refused outright or even run away to escape her predicament; such things had been known to happen in books, at least. But she hadn’t. She had chosen to marry him, to be his wife forever, no matter what. 

That was why he didn’t deserve her. 

But now wasn’t the time to reflect on such things. This was an intimate moment that neither of them wanted to end. Best not to spoil it by questioning once again why she had chosen him. 

With a racing heart, he kissed her again, revelling in the sweet taste of her and the feel of her body pressed against his. Then she made a reluctant sigh that caused him to pull back and glance at her with a worried frown. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to get up,” she sighed. “Bathroom.”

Loki quickly rolled off her. With slightly trembling limbs, Georgiana clambered out of bed and then paused, wondering whether or not to pull on her dressing robe. Then, a sudden mischievous idea seized her and she dragged the sheet off the bed, pulling it around her like a gown she had once seen a young shipwrecked girl wearing in a picture book her father had given her. 

“Hey!” Loki exclaimed, fighting the urge to laugh again as she proceeded to leave him bare on the bed. 

“Don’t worry; I’ll be bringing it right back,” Georgiana said.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “If you get it wet, I’m not entirely sure I’ll want it back.”

Having nothing else to hand, she threw her slipper at him. It missed, thankfully, bouncing off the mattress by his leg and landing on the floor on his side. “Don’t be coarse,” she scolded in a tone of mock primness, and then, pulling the sheet up over her ankles to avoid tripping over it, she hastened into the bathroom. 

Loki lay back, tucking one hand under his head in a thoughtful manner. Yes. He had thought it would be so difficult to like her, let alone love her, but it wasn’t. It was surprisingly, and scarily, easy to. Where they went from here, he had no idea, but he assumed that now they were at this stage, things could only get easier. It was certainly easier to picture a life with her, living beside her; it was even appealing, more than appealing. Could he imagine spending the rest of his life with anyone else?

The answer was ready but it never came as his train of thought was broken by the sound of her coming back into the room. He turned to look at her as she clambered back onto the bed, kneeling up in front of him. Without a word, he tugged the sheet away from her. She laughed and then ran her hands through her hair, fluffing it out where it had gone flat. The bruises on her wrist were still visible, he noted, if not completely noticeable at first. Never again, he reminded himself, catching her arm and pulling her down next to him. Georgiana flopped against him, cuddling up against him and still surprised that she could do this now. It was nice. The first night, after he had left her alone, still sore from their love making, it had felt so abrupt, like she was some kind of, what was the term that was passed around in Asgard for girls who slept with men and got paid for it – harlots, that was it, they were harlots. She had felt like one of them, briefly. But now she felt like a wife who had just been made love to by her husband and was very, very happy about it. 

“Did you have anything planned for today?” she asked, feeling the need to say something. “Before all this?” She gestured at the rumpled sheet about them. 

“No.”

“No fights for justice?”

He looked down at her. Her voice had been innocent but her eyes had looked slightly worried. “You never need to worry about me there, you know,” he said. “I’m perfectly capable of holding my own in a battle.”

“Perhaps, but as I said the other day, any woman would be worried about her husband in a battlefield.”

“I have magic, Georgiana. Illusions confuse the enemy. Besides, with a team like Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three on my side, it’s unlikely we’ll ever lose a battle with anyone; even Frost Giants.”

She smiled as she met his gaze. “You can’t make a person stop worrying, Loki.”

It was nice in a way, he supposed, that she worried about him; like the way she had missed him the day before. Nice, he thought, to know that somewhere in the world someone cared about him like that. “Well, you don’t need to worry about me for a while,” he said, awkwardly, playing with a strand of her hair. “To my knowledge we’re not getting involved in anymore battles just yet.”

Georgiana smiled and pressed closer to him. “I’m glad,” she murmured, closing her eyes. 

It was peaceful, lying there, holding her. It felt natural too, right, more so than he had ever imagined. 

“Perhaps being married to you won’t be so bad after all.”

She giggled. “I’m not a burden after all, then?”

He cursed himself inwardly for saying it aloud; he hadn’t meant to. “Sorry,” he said, quickly, “thinking aloud. And, no, you’re not a burden; although don’t tell Thor I said so. I can’t stand the thought of him being right.”

Georgiana laughed again and shifted slightly in his arms, resting her head on his chest. “Promise. I can understand that.”

“Can you?”

“Well, you’ve seen my sketches of him. The thought of someone as big-headed as him being right is simply unbearable.”

Loki managed a smile. “I thought you said he was only a little big-headed?”

“Well, I’m beginning to change my judgement, I think. Women are like that, by the way,” she added, raising a finger to emphasise her point, “they can change their minds about things so easily. Mama taught me that.”

Loki glanced at her again. Her tone had been flat when she said that. “Do you get on with her?” he asked, remembering that she had asked the same of him and Odin earlier that day.

“Mm.” Georgiana thought for a second. “Not as well as I used to. I think when I reached my early teens, when suddenly it was time to start preparing me for, well, courtship and marriage; sometimes I found myself wondering if I was her daughter or some doll to be scrubbed up and then given away at random to the first buyer. I think that must be what it’s always like with the eldest child, or the only one, in a marriage. They get trained for adult life; the women raised to be good wives and mothers and the men raised to follow in their fathers’ footsteps.”

Loki nodded. “The same with Thor. Trained to be King of Asgard one day.”

Georgiana sighed. “Why, though? Why always the oldest? I mean, Hen’s thirteen now; obviously she’s not old enough to be married yet, but why is it always that the oldest child is the one picked out like that.”

“Probably because the parents want it to happen as soon as possible,” Loki replied. “Our father won’t live forever. He chooses Thor as his heir because soon he’ll come of age; and be prepared to take the throne if he dies prematurely.”

Georgiana wriggled her shoulders. “Maybe, but I don’t think it’s right. There are plenty of people who have children and raise them simply to love and be loved in life.” She looked up at him quickly. “I mean I’m not a bit sorry I married you, but I just wish I hadn’t felt like I’d been groomed for it my whole life.” 

Loki nodded. Then her words sank in. 

“I’m not a bit sorry I married you.”

Once again he was filled with an inward pleasure at having her as his wife and subtly tightened his grip on her. Georgiana gave a soft sigh of pleasure. “I’m sort of glad I left Althrop, to be honest. Not just because of Mama. I’ve always been fascinated by this place; I always sort of hoped I’d live here someday.”

Loki smiled. Now here was an opportunity to tease her. “Tell me, Georgiana, did I ever feature in this little fantasy of yours?”

As he said it, he ran his fingers down her spine, causing her to squirm slightly and laugh. Then, blushing somewhat, she managed to say “Well...sometimes, but that’s just when I was younger; when I didn’t know any better.”

He flipped her over onto her back, causing her to laugh again. Then, he looked her seriously in the eyes. “I never actually disliked you, Georgiana. I mean, yes, I did get a little irritated by your crush on me but we were both younger back then. I always thought you were...likeable, at least.”

She smiled at the compliment. “You know, you don’t have to keep calling me Georgiana. It sounds so formal for a wife. People often just call me G.”

Loki shook his head. “No, I’m afraid that doesn’t suit you.”

“It doesn’t?”

“No. It makes you sound like anyone else here in Asgard.”

She frowned. “And that’s not a good thing?”

“Not to me.” Husbands and wives in any setting might wish to give their spouses loving nicknames to show familiarity but he couldn’t imagine doing that with Georgiana. To simply give her that initial G, it was like referring to her as an “it” or a “that” rather than “she” or “her.” It objectified her; took away the person and cast her as a thing. No. It wouldn’t happen. “I mean,” he added, with a laugh, “you refer to me as Loki.”

“Well, do you have a nickname?”

“No, and I wouldn’t want you to give me one either.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Georgiana stretched, “then you may call me whatever you want.”

“You will always be Georgiana to me,” Loki replied, before he kissed her again. 

Yes, he thought, things would be different from now on, now he had this sudden urge to care for her, to make her happy, which would in turn make him happy. There would be no more of this tension that had been hanging in their air since their wedding day, tension so thick it could be cut with a knife, like pea-souper fog, not now that they were suddenly comfortable with each other. Each night, each day, could be like this. 

Was she changing him?

Was he changing her?

Were they changing each other?

Her eyes fluttered open as they broke apart. Beautiful. She was beautiful, and wonderful, and she was his. 

“I’m not sorry I married you either,” he murmured. 

“No?” she whispered, clinging to him. 

“Not a bit of it,” Loki promised.


	11. In The Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Georgiana thrust the book back onto the shelf, knowing now that it was one she had already read, and looked around. The library was huge, much bigger than she had remembered, but then she hadn’t spent much time in there when she was younger. Now, she smiled to herself, she could spend as much time a day as she wanted in here. It was a round room, the walls lined with bookshelves and windows, and was also the tallest room in the entire palace. The book was a rather terrifying one about a wild whale that had killed people in revenge for the death of its mate. She had, rather stupidly she supposed now, read it at the age of nine and it had given her nightmares for months. She certainly had no desire to read it again. 

After having spent much more of the previous day in bed than Asgardians normally would, here she smiled to herself, thinking that most of the activities they had spend in it hadn’t involved sleeping, they had eventually resigned themselves to getting up, dressing and going down to spend what remained of the day with Odin and Frigga and Thor and everyone else. Of course, no one could miss the fact that both Loki and Georgiana looked marginally happier in each other’s presence than they had done several days ago, but no one had dared mention this. It wasn’t any of their business, anyway, Georgiana reminded herself, pulling another book off the shelf. What business was it of theirs if she and Loki had suddenly found some common ground; had suddenly found themselves more comfortable and relaxed in each other’s presence and suddenly felt more passion, and compassion, towards the other than they had done before? It was not their place to get involved in such matters, she thought to herself, and if any of them does say anything then I will be brisk with them and tell them just that. It has nothing to do with any of them. 

She was standing on the sixth, or was it the seventh rung, of the ladder – she had lost count, although she knew that she wasn’t really all that high up, searching through more books when Loki came into the room. He had expected to find her in here; the previous night she had finished her book, right before they had made love again for about the third time that night. She hadn’t heard him come in. He stepped up to the ladder, glanced up at her, and then, leaning against the ladder with his arms folded, he announced his presence. 

“It’s a pity that dress isn’t a few inches shorter. It makes it hard to see anything from down here.”

Georgiana didn’t know whether to laugh or be shocked. “Loki of Asgard!” she exclaimed in that same tone she had used the day before in scolding him for being coarse. “You shouldn’t think about such things!”

He smirked up at her. “I’m allowed to think such things about my own wife.”

Blushing, Georgiana shoved the book back onto the shelf and looked around. Thankfully they were alone and there was no chance of their conversation being overheard. “What if there’d been someone listening?” she hissed, pretending to be cross. 

“Then I would have conjured up a dragon to send them running,” Loki replied, watching her run her fingers along the spines of several books, “and if they knew what was good for them they wouldn’t eavesdrop on us again.”

Georgiana smiled down at him. “Well, then, I suppose I might forgive you for it. As long as you agree to keep such thoughts to yourself in future.”

Loki smiled, wickedly. “Tell me why I should not think such things about my own wife.”

Georgiana pretended to think for a second and then, returning his smile, she shook her head. “No, sorry, I’m afraid I can’t think of a reason. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t one.”

She didn’t hear him move but the next thing she knew was that his arms were about her. With a startled squeal she let go of the ladder. Then her feet touched the ground lightly and she began to laugh as he held her close and began to trail kisses down her neck. 

“We can’t here!” she giggled, spinning about to kiss him, firmly, cupping his face. “Someone might come in!”

“Then we’ll just have to lock the doors,” Loki replied, cutting off her protests with another kiss. “Unless you’re still sore after last night?”

“Still sore?” Georgiana tossed her head and wrapped both arms around his neck. “What makes you think I was sore at all last night? I can take anything you dole out on me, husband! Or,” she added, bringing her face closer to his, “perhaps you don’t think your wife to be quite as tough as the other women in Asgard?”

“I don’t doubt for a second you are,” Loki replied, waving a hand at the doors. They instantly shut and locked themselves. Georgiana watched, more impressed than she actually let on. 

“Nicely done,” she commented. “Can you teach me how to do that?”

“If you like.”

“I would like.”

“Very well then. Later.”

Georgiana smiled up at him and gave in. “Later,” she agreed, pressing close to him. 

Loki did wonder later if it was really the done thing, to make love on the large fur rug of the library floor in the middle of broad daylight, but then, he decided, he didn’t care. Neither did she, or she would have said something, and she had been as up for it as he had. Lying together, side by side, afterwards, it felt like they were suddenly the only two people in the world; that they had all the time in the world and that nothing and no one could ever touch them.

That is, until, a sudden bang on the library doors caused them both to start. 

“Hello,” Loki murmured, turning onto his front and looking over at the door. “Where’s the canon?”

“Who locked this bloody door?” came Odin’s voice from the other side. 

Georgiana blanched and scrabbled to her feet, fumbling for her clothes. “Er, hold on a second. I’ll unlock it. No need to break it down...or anything!”

“Must we?” Loki gave her a teasing look. “Let him rant and rave out there, I say.”

“He might barge in,” Georgiana hissed, attempting to cover herself with her dress and kicking her shoes out of the way. “And I for one have no desire to be seen completely naked by your father! And will you please give me back my undergarments?” she added, snatching them back as he attempted to withhold them from her. 

He smirked at her. “I suppose you’re right. Why should I share you with anyone else?”

Georgiana tried not to laugh as she hurriedly dressed herself. “That isn’t what I meant. And are you going to put your clothes back on?”

“I thought you liked me like this?”

“I do, but I don’t want your father to know that we’ve been using his library as a quick substitute for a bedroom.”

She had a point there, he had to admit. What went on between them in the bedroom should go no further than the bedroom, really. Added to that he didn’t want his father, or Thor if he found out, making some comment about his feelings for Georgiana changing – even though they had, but he didn’t want them to know that, did he? His father would only smirk about being right and Thor would only tease. So, he did as she suggested. 

“Can you help me?” Georgiana whispered, struggling with the fastenings at the back of her dress. “Please?”

He waved a hand at her back and she made a soft “Oh!” sound as the dress fastened itself, straightening her posture in the process. 

He gave her a raised eyebrow look. “Perhaps it would be useful to teach you magic after all.”

Her eyes were mischievous as she reached up to kiss him. Then, she hurried to the doors and eventually managed to get them open. 

“What have you two been barricading yourselves in here for?” Odin asked, striding into the room. Georgiana quickly patted down her hair, hoping that it didn’t look too tousled from their love-making. 

“Private conversation,” Loki replied, his voice stiff now, although as he shot a look to Georgiana, he gave her a brief smile that was meant only for her. “Sometimes it’s hard to talk with constant interruptions.”

Odin glanced at him, that same glance that Loki knew so well. The one that always said “You can never live up to your brother in my eyes, and you never will.” 

“That sounds like a lie.”

Georgiana stared at him, or rather stared at the back of his head, since he was facing away from her. She felt like shouting at him, telling him quite firmly that it was the truth, but that would sound so childish, she decided. So, regaining her composure, she swept up to him. “A husband and wife can have no secrets from each other, but they are allowed to have secrets from the rest of the world. Secret, private conversations that have nothing to do with anyone else’s business; hence neither will divulge the subject of them when questioned.” Ignoring the fact that they were both staring at her – Odin in surprise, Loki in admiration – she walked past Odin, placed her hand against Loki’s shoulder and then leaned past him to pull a book off the shelf. “And I don’t think it would be any of your concern what we’ve just been discussing, Odin, with all due respect.”

Loki practically beamed at her as he folded his arms and glanced smugly in his father’s direction. Odin straightened up, with dignity, and nodded at Georgiana, showing that no offence had been taken and that he hadn’t meant to pry. “I am corrected,” he said, the closest to an apology he would ever give to his second son, and then, turning to the opposite shelf, thumped his spear on the ground. A book shot from the top shelf and he caught it, deftly, with one hand. Georgiana watched, with a cool indifference in her eyes, not wishing to appear friendly to him now in any way. Without a word to either of them, Odin left the room. 

Loki turned to her. “You know, you’re very attractive when you’re fierce.”

Georgiana slid the book back onto the shelf. “How dare he call you a liar?”

He chuckled. “That’s the way he sees me.”

“Well, then, he’s...” Georgiana tried to think of an appropriate word but could only come up with “...a blind idiot!” And she turned and flung her arms around him, suddenly feeling angry at Odin for daring to think anything bad of her husband, his own son. How could anyone not look at Loki and see what she saw; the darkly attractive, refined, confidant, spellbinding man she had become so attached to all those years ago, and now again, several years on? How could they not see what was standing right in front of them? Did they simply refuse to see? 

She couldn’t fathom it. She couldn’t. 

“Your being so offended for me is really quite touching,” Loki told her, running his hands down her back. 

Georgiana exhaled a small sigh of exasperation as she pulled closer to him. “I don’t like it,” she said. “I don’t like him being so sharp with you, or putting you down.” Suddenly she had a flashback to a moment on one of their visits to Asgard when she had been wandering about the grounds, looking for something to sketch, and she had come across him, sitting against the wall, reading. She had been, what, on the verge of eleven, then? Her shadow had fallen across his page and he had sighed, without looking up.

“Don’t tell me you’ve suddenly decided I’m needed after all?” he muttered, looking up and then realising his mistake. “Oh, it’s you. I thought you were Thor.”

She had put her head on one side and then asked “What was that about?” 

“Oh, nothing,” he had replied, airily, getting to his feet, snapping the book shut in the process. 

“Did you two have a row?” she had asked. 

Such an innocent question on her behalf had caused him to almost smile. “Something like that,” he had replied, and then he had left her. At the time she hadn’t understood his words at all, but now, as she thought about the way Odin treated him, she felt that memory come flooding back, clear in her mind as if it had happened yesterday and she understood, or at least thought that she understood a little better. It had been yet another example of being put down by the older Asgardians. 

And suddenly she felt angry at the lot of them; not just Odin, but Frigga, Thor, Sif, the Warriors Three, the whole lot of them, for not seeing the man her husband really was. 

Loki kissed the top of her head, gently, another gesture of gratitude. “You still want to learn magic?”

Georgiana took a step back from him, but didn’t let go of him. “Yes,” she said, with a small smile. “And I would like you to be the one to teach me.”

“I wouldn’t trust anyone else to do so,” he replied, kissing her once before causing an enormous book to fall from highest shelf and land lightly in her arms. She frowned at him. 

“What’s this?”

“A book on magic.”

Georgiana flicked it open. It wasn’t a book on spells, but rather instructions and directions on using magic; what gestures to use; what emotions to feel, that sort of thing. She smiled. “Well, this could turn out to be very useful indeed.” She met his curious look with another mischievous one of her own. “Who knows? I might even be able to control you for once.”

His smile returned. Oh, he could tease her just as well as she could tease him. “No amount of magic in the world can control me, Georgiana,” he replied, slyly playing with her hair. It was still a little mussed from their lovemaking, but it suited her like that.

“Well, we’ll just see, won’t we?” she teased back, holding the book close to her. “Perhaps I can tame you.”

“What makes you think I’m the one in need of taming?”

“The fact that you’re so wild and roguish.” She stepped back, out of his reach, leaning against the ladder. She had a look in her eyes of mock innocence and she was once again drawing attention to her mouth, only this time he got the feeling that she knew she was doing it. “Surely a husband like that needs taming?”

Loki placed his hands either side of the ladder, trapping her, not that she minded. “Well, I beg to differ,” he smirked, pressing close to her. “I think it might be you that’s in need of taming.”

“Oh?” Georgiana looked up, bringing her face as close to his as possible without touching. “Dear me, have I been corrupted so much by your Asgard ways that I need to be moulded into the obedient wife figure?”

“I must warn you, Georgiana, that if you ever do suddenly become an obedient wife figure, I may have to kill you,” Loki murmured, seriously. “You could become very boring if that happened.”

Georgiana laughed and then pressed the rest of her body close to his. “Well, then, perhaps you shouldn’t try to tame me.”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t try to tame me,” he countered, “although I have to admit, I would like to see you try.”

“Oh, I bet you would,” Georgiana smiled. “But I get the feeling that it could turn out pretty bad for me if I did, so I think I might pass on it after all and just let you teach me magic for my own pleasure.”

Loki smiled. “That could turn out to be very entertaining too.”

“Oh?” Georgiana put on a tone of mock innocence again, head on one side. “And for which one of us, I wonder?”

“We’ll have to see,” Loki replied, reaching to kiss her. 

Neither of them noticed that, now the doors were open, they were in full view of anyone passing. And Thor happened to be passing at that moment. The word surprised didn’t quite sum up his reaction as he stared at the pair of them, locked in passionate embrace. 

Well, he thought, well I never saw that one coming.

It wasn’t the fact that Georgiana was clinging to Loki with a fierce desperation that surprised him - he too had known that she used to have a crush on Loki, had even frequently teased him about it on occasion – but the fact that Loki wasn’t pushing her away.


	12. Young and Beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (The title for this chapter comes from the video this fanfic was originally inspired by; found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBGZYUEepb0&list=LLKPXJkD3fIViWORAurVFivQ&feature=share&index=7. As you can see, the ending of this chapter is a little similar to the ending of the video. Enjoy!)

“No way!” Sif’s voice was hushed as she stared at him. 

“I’m telling you, it happened,” Thor insisted. 

Volstagg shook his head in wonder. “Who’d have thought it?”

“You don’t think...she’s likely to get hurt, do you?” Sif asked, slowly. “I mean...she’s not a warrior.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s not tough,” Hogun shrugged. “I think she can handle Loki.”

Fandral laughed. “About time too, if no one minds me saying so!”

Thor laughed in silent agreement. “I think that if she’s managed to survive Loki so far, she’ll be just fine.”

Sif managed a small smile. “But is that going to be enough to tame the darkness in him?”

Thor shrugged. “Who knows?”

“Better not let on to him about what you saw,” Hogun advised in a low voice, stealing a glance over his shoulder in case Loki should suddenly walk in behind them. “He’s not likely to be happy about it.”

Thor grinned. “Now, would I?”

“You know you would!” Sif laughed. 

Acknowledging silently that they were right, Thor decided that it would be best to keep what he had seen to himself, for now, at any rate. But he still couldn’t get over the fact that Loki suddenly seemed to be attracted to his own wife all of a sudden. Of course he was certain that the short conversation he had witnessed between them, that day of the fight Sif had roped them into, had been enjoyed on both sides but Loki’s insistence that it hadn’t been did leave room for doubt. As to the small exchange in the library, however, well, there was no denying that there had been a great deal of attraction between them there and then. 

Perhaps, he thought, in time, Georgiana could tame his dark side after all. But he wouldn’t provoke Loki with such teasing. Yet. 

So, for their part, Asgard’s most recently married couple remained blissfully unaware that Thor and his friends knew about their sudden attraction to one another as they consummated yet another wonderful night in their shared bedroom. Each kiss, each touch, each breath was like the first time and they revelled in the feeling of just being near each other. A part of Georgiana worried though. Though she knew that she would always be something of an outsider in Asgard, having not been raised there, and she knew that being accepted by her husband was the most important thing, she still felt somewhat insignificant in their marriage. Loki, after all, was a Prince, of royal blood, and the son of a great warrior too at that. Alright, so her own father had been an Earl, but they had lived a fairly straightforward, standard way of life, little better than poor folks really; especially given that their own king was currently bleeding Althrop dry by spending all the people’s money on frivolous items. She felt, no, not insignificant, insecure, although she wasn’t about to let onto Loki. 

Anyway, she had something more important going on in her life at that current moment; it had come in the form of a letter in the post, from Charles. That had surprised her; him getting in touch with her so soon after their last meeting, but there it was, in black and white, a letter from him. To her relief, however, it wasn’t about his feelings for her; just about his political campaign, which wasn’t going well, apparently. 

“Hm.”

Loki glanced at her. “What?”

“This letter from Charles about his campaign.”

Oh, what did that idiot want now? “What of it?”

“It isn’t going well. But maybe,” here she hesitated in thought before going on, “maybe all he needs is the right backing. Maybe I could use my position as Princess of Asgard to help him.” Loki said nothing. She sat up. “I’d better go now. Will you come with me?”

“To Althrop?”

“What’s wrong with Althrop?”

“Nothing,” Loki said, quickly. “But I think I’ll pass. I might be needed here.”

His bluntness surprised her. “Oh,” was all she said, making no effort to hide her feelings as she quickly pulled on her shoes. 

“What?” Loki glanced at her. Something had annoyed her now. What?

“Nothing,” Georgiana replied. 

He shot to his feet and was at her side in a second. “Tell me.”

She met his gaze with a steady one of her own. “Well, I might need you with me.”

Loki almost laughed at that. “I doubt it. Wouldn’t your friend be there?”

The way he said the word “friend” caused her to stiffen. “What is wrong with you all of a sudden?” she exclaimed. 

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Forgive me if I’m not exactly happy about having to share my wife!”

Without another word, he strode past her. He had to get out of there before he lost it with her again. “Loki!” Georgiana exclaimed as the door swung shut. Then, feeling far too put out to follow him, she snatched up her shawl, stubbornly. Fine, she thought. If he doesn’t need me today, then I don’t need him today either. 

Fifteen minutes later, she was hurrying up the steps to Charles’ manor. 

***

Thor didn’t see his brother sitting on the steps until he almost bumped into him. “Watch it, can’t you?” Loki exclaimed, although his heart wasn’t really in the scolding. 

Thor glanced at him. “What’s the matter with you? You look terrible.”

Loki said nothing. 

Thor, however, wasn’t one to give up easily when it came to trying to make people say what was on their mind. He sat down next to him. “Ah, come on, brother, you can tell me.”

“Women,” sighed Loki. 

“Trouble in paradise?”

Loki glanced at him. Thor held up his hands in a defensive pose. “It’s just that you and her seem to have been getting along well recently.”

“Yes, well, that was before she decided to become a supporter of her friend’s political campaign,” Loki muttered, bitterly. 

“That Charles Grey, you mean? The one who came to dinner?”

“The one who’s in love with her, yes.”

Thor took this in and then laughed. Loki shot him a look. “Feel free to tell me what the funny side to all this is!” he snapped, rather indignantly. 

Thor pulled himself together. “Loki, I don’t know how to say this, but I think you’re getting jealous.”

Loki stiffened, visibly, but then scoffed. “Jealous? Of that fool?”

Thor shrugged. “Well, it’s understandable, if the man’s got feelings for Georgiana. I mean, she is young and beautiful; she might be tempted to-”

“Forget it,” Loki interrupted. “She said herself that she doesn’t feel like that about him.”

“Well, if they’re alone together, you never know-”

Loki shot him a glare. “Shut up.”

Thor said nothing, just gave him a look that spoke volumes. Loki got to his feet and strode away, determined not to let his brother’s words get to him. It was impossible. Georgiana had told Charles, in no uncertain terms, that she didn’t want him in the way he wanted her. 

But now...

The smallest twinge of doubt tugged at him. The look Thor had given him had been an “I told you so” one. 

***

“Thanks so much for this, G,” sighed Charles as they walked together. It was beginning to rain, but the bridge they were currently crossing was covered so they were free to take it slow for a while. 

“I’m happy to help,” Georgiana replied. She had met with some of his fellow politicians, and let it be known that Charles Grey had the full support of Asgard behind him, or at least that of the Princess of Asgard. Now they could only hope that it would strengthen his campaign, although his fellow politicians had been impressed by her support and political views, which Charles had promised to try and weave into his campaign, and follow through, should he win. She hoped he would. He was a good man; he could make their kingdom a great one. “Besides, I’m always interested in what’s going on here in Althrop, even though I’m not here so much these days.”

They fell silent for a while, their footsteps in synch on the wooden slats of the bridge, complimented by the pouring rain. Eventually Charles sighed, and Georgiana couldn’t take the silence any longer. Even though she was happy being just friends with him, there was still something she felt that she needed to know. 

She turned to him. “Do you ever think of me when we’re not together?”

Charles stopped. “I think of you all the time. Georgiana,” and here he took her hands, “are you sure that you’re happy? Where you are?”

“Things have been better, recently, for us,” Georgiana began, thinking about how passionate she and Loki had been with one another the last few days, and then she stopped, remembering the argument, if you could call it an argument, they had had that morning. That was a point. If Loki had a problem with her doing things like this...

“Georgiana?” Charles looked at her. “What is it?”

“We...quarrelled this morning,” Georgiana confessed. “And now suddenly...”

She looked up at him, her old friend, and suddenly realised that she was tempted to let him kiss her. She was even picturing it in her mind; the feel of his mouth on hers, the taste of him...and then, even as she thought it, she had a sudden mental picture of Loki, also kissing her, and the way it made her feel. And then, as her mind reminded her that they had argued that morning and that he didn’t seem alright with her doing things like this, being with people like Charles, without him, she suddenly remembered what he had said about her being the obedient wife figure.

“If you ever do suddenly become an obedient wife figure, I may have to kill you. You could become very boring if that happened.”

“G,” murmured Charles, stepping closer to her. 

She couldn’t do it. She didn’t want to do it. The only man she ever wanted to have kiss her was Loki. 

She dropped her hands and took a step back. “Charles,” she reminded him. “We’re friends.”

Charles looked at her and realised then that she would never change her feelings for him. He nodded and smiled, reassuringly, at her. “Friends. Come on, I’ll see you back to your ship.”

***

What if she didn’t come back?

He shook his head. That was daft. Of course she would. All her things were here, for a start. He knew for a fact that she would never leave her sketchbook behind. On the other hand, she’d probably leave her nightgown behind; she wouldn’t need that if she was going to-no! 

Loki groaned. He had let Thor’s words get to him and now he was paranoid. But he could trust her, couldn’t he? She had been so insistent that Charles didn’t mean anything to her; not in that sense, at least, and he could understand her wanting to rush to a friend’s rescue; like the Warriors Three and Sif often did for Thor, so surely that was innocent enough? 

Maybe I shouldn’t have been so harsh with her. 

But what if she did get distracted by Charles’ “charms,” if he even had any? What if she was “tempted” as Thor had put it? He didn’t care whether Georgiana loved him or not; not that he believed that there was really any such thing as “love,” but she seemed to have been returning whatever this affection, or attraction, he held for her, lately. And it had been better, being able to share it with her. 

But was Thor right? Was he jealous? Or was he just worried? Surely that was it; just worry? After all, Thor had been right in one sense; she was young and beautiful; a woman that any man could be attracted to. 

What if he had driven her away in that moment of bitterness?

Even as he was thinking this, the door opened. He glanced in the direction of it and then, seeing Georgiana slip in, quietly closing it behind her, he sat up and got to his feet. Georgiana tossed her shawl onto the nearest chair and then, taking a deep breath, turned to face him. Her face was almost expressionless, but her eyes were trying to say something. He saw nervousness there and dropped his gaze to the floor, saying nothing. Then, Georgiana walked quickly towards him and kissed him. Relieved, Loki kissed her back, pulling her close and holding her. 

She was still his. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmured to her. 

“It’s ok,” Georgiana began in a whisper. 

“No, it’s not ok.” To her surprise, Loki picked her up and put her on the bed, leaning down to kiss her again. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Georgiana didn’t argue as they began to undress each other with an urgent passion. Yes, she thought, this was what she wanted, this was what she had always wanted. She had been blinded for a second by her old friend, but she would always return to the man she truly wanted. 

“Apology accepted,” she said afterwards, pressing close to him. All her insecurities had suddenly evaporated. It was ridiculous to even think of them. If Loki wanted her, and she wanted him, then that was all that mattered. But there was one more thing to clear up. He had apologized to her, sought her forgiveness. Now she needed to seek his. She took a deep breath. “I need to tell you something.”

Loki glanced at her. Had something happened after all? “What is it?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound harsh. 

“I was, um,” Georgiana pushed herself up before continuing, “I was tempted to kiss Charles.”

Tempted? Only tempted? “Right,” he said, slowly. 

“But I couldn’t do it.” Georgiana looked at him. “When I thought he was about to...kiss me, all I could think about was you, and how much I wanted to kiss you at that point. And I couldn’t do it.” Feeling panic rise up inside her as he looked at her, his expression unreadable, she stammered “I’m so sorry, please forgive me.”

Loki took a deep breath. “Georgiana, I can’t forgive you-”

Georgiana drew in her breath, her heart racing at an alarming rate. This is it, she thought, I’m going to die of a panic attack because I nearly did something stupid. 

However Loki wasn’t finished. “For something you haven’t done.”

Relief burst in her like a bubble of water and she managed a smile. Returning it, Loki grabbed her, pulled her down beside him and kissed her again. It was official. She was never going to be anyone’s but his.


	13. Yet Another Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Loki found himself woken the next morning by a series of sounds. First there was a soft whooshing, like the wind outside, although it seemed to be coming from inside the room; followed by a sudden soft thump and then an irritated sigh. It took a moment for him to piece together what they meant, and then he remembered that he no longer slept alone at nights. What, he had to ask himself, finally opening his eyes, was she doing now?

Rolling over he saw that Georgiana was sat upright on the bed, one hand extended towards her dresser, gripping the air in front of her and an open book on her lap. With her back to him, he couldn’t see the expression on her face but he could imagine that she was screwing up her eyes in concentration as she glanced back down at the page and then up again at her dresser. Glancing over to where she was looking, he noticed that a bottle had been knocked over, which explained the thump he had heard. He sat up, rubbed his eyes and then, even though he had an idea already, he asked her “What are you doing?”

She turned to him, her hair tossing in curls as she did so, and exhaled in frustration. “This doesn’t work,” she said, snapping the book shut with vigour. “I thought for a second that I had it...but it won’t do it. I followed the instructions, but nothing. And, what exactly is so funny about all this?” she added, seeing the look on his face.

With a grin, Loki pushed himself up to sit behind her. Re-opening the book, he found the page she had been on. “Again. Show me again.”

Georgiana glanced at him, to make sure that he wasn’t gloating. He met her gaze with a serious one and she trusted him. Turning back to the dresser, she repeated the movement, trying to lift the bottle. All that happened was that the thing rolled slightly where it lay. With a sigh, Georgiana dropped her hand and leaned against him. “See? I can’t do it.”

Loki exhaled, patiently. “Well, so much for my theory.”

“Theory?” Georgiana glanced at him. 

“Well, I never took you for someone to give up easily. I suppose I was wrong.”

Georgiana made an indignant sound that sounded like a cross between a scoff and a laugh. “I don’t give up easily!”

“You just did,” Loki replied. 

“Well...” Finding no other excuse than the truth, Georgiana folded her arms and tried not to look downhearted. “Well, I can’t get it.”

“Not with that attitude,” Loki said, and took her hand before she could respond. “You’re concentrating too much on the action rather than what you want it to do. Try it again.”

Georgiana took a deep breath and tried again. Still nothing. “Feel what you want to happen,” Loki insisted, pressing closer to her, heat rising between them. His hand stroked hers, forming the shape she wanted. “If it’s easier, close your eyes.”

Heart racing, Georgiana closed her eyes and tried to picture the bottle flying into her hand from the top of the dresser. She could feel Loki’s fingers on hers, making the required gesture, feel his body pressed up against hers, feel his breath against her neck...and then her eyes flew open as something hit her hand and she gasped, seeing the bottle she had been trying to summon. 

“See?” With a smirk, Loki dropped his hand from hers. “You can do it.”

Georgiana breathed out in awe as she turned to him. “I did it,” she whispered. 

He shrugged. “I knew you could.”

Unable to put how she was feeling into words, Georgiana dropped the bottle onto the bed, flung her arms around his neck and kissed him, feverishly. Catching hold of her, Loki allowed her to collapse on top of him, returning her kiss. Georgiana broke away from him with a smile of pure pleasure. “Thank you,” she said, her eyes radiant, the look he liked so much. “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do it.”

“Enlighten me,” Loki said, running his hands down her back. “How many times had you tried before I stepped in?”

She blushed. “Well...not many but-”

He raised his eyebrows. “How many?”

Her blush deepened. “Three.”

He laughed. “I thought you said you didn’t give up easily.”

“Well, it’s alright for you,” Georgiana replied, fanning herself to try and lessen her blush. “You’ve been doing it longer than me. You’re the expert.”

“Georgiana, magic takes practise just like anything else.” Then, mischievously, he flipped her over onto her back. “And I want to see you practising as often as possible.” 

Georgiana smiled, teasingly, bringing her face close to his. “The thought of having a wife who can do magic appeals to you, Loki?”

“Yes.” Loki kissed her, revelling once again in the taste of her, and the knowledge that she wasn’t about to leave him for some fool from Althrop after all. Oh, he couldn’t wait to show Thor that he had been wrong; all those stupid notions that Georgiana just might fall for Charles Grey after a silly disagreement between them, when anyone could see that she was...what? Devoted to him? Sometimes he wondered. Those old feelings she had had for him in the past were probably still there. 

She wanted him. That was all that mattered. 

Thor noticed that his mood had changed considerably since the previous day as he joined him in the courtyard. “Everything’s alright, then?” he grinned. “She didn’t leave you for the idiot after all?”

Loki held his head up high. “Can’t imagine what made you think she would.”

Thor shrugged and fell into step beside him. “You seemed a bit bitter about her going, so-”

Loki shot him a glance. “Shut up.”

It wasn’t said with harshness so Thor didn’t take it as a sign of annoyance. He smiled and said nothing, leaving Loki to his thoughts of Georgiana, where she was right there and then, what she was up to (probably sketching) and whether she was thinking of him. 

***

In the grounds, Georgiana, sketchbook in hand, was indeed thinking about her husband. She knew now, for certain, that nothing could ever change her feelings for him. If things had been different, if she had never come to Asgard, then perhaps she might have been able to return Charles’ affections for her. But that moment when she had thought he might kiss her had made her realise that no one could thrill her, fill her with a fiery passion, desire her, the way Loki did. Each time she was near him, she caught her breath, felt palpitations in her heart, and each second she wasn’t near him, she wanted to be with him again. 

There was no way that Charles could ever do that to her. 

“Georgiana!”

She turned to see Sif striding towards her, a sword in her hand. “Hello, Sif,” she greeted her, and then, glancing worriedly at the sword, added “Are you planning another battle?”

“Oh!” Sif laughed. “No. This is the sword I took from the Dark Elves; the enchanted one. I’ve just taken to carrying it around with me out of paranoia, I guess.”

Georgiana smiled. “Well, that’s understandable. I suppose many warriors would kill for an enchanted sword.”

“This warrior did,” Sif laughed, and Georgiana joined her, allowing Sif to fall into step alongside her. “So, um, how are things with you and Loki?” Sif asked, sobering up. 

Georgiana frowned. “Why; did you hear about our argument?”

“Argument?”

“Well, not even an argument, more of a snap, really,” Georgiana admitted. It had been so silly, after all, and sometimes she wondered why they provoked each other like they did. She supposed it was just a part of married life. “Anyway, we made up.” Then, with a grin, she added “Loki’s very good at apologising.”

“Really? I’ve never heard him-” Sif shot her a sideways glance, and then, seeing the look on Georgiana’s face, realised what she meant. Her eyes widened. “Oh!” Georgiana giggled. Sif shook her head in wonder. “Forgive me if I don’t ask for the details.”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t,” Georgiana laughed. 

The sky gave a sudden rumble and they both turned their eyes upwards at the rolling black clouds. “It’ll be thundering down soon,” Sif said, fingering the hilt of her sword. Georgiana could tell that she wanted it protected at all costs. “We’d better get under shelter before it hits.”

They ran for it as the heavens opened and rain hit them like thousands of stinging and biting insects, soaking them and blinding them as they ran. Sif was faster, in her warrior’s garb, and Georgiana, stumbling along behind her, had trouble keeping up. Losing her footing, she lashed out to keep herself from falling and then cried out as the tangled mass of thorns, some as large as ripe plums, and deadly sharp, tore into her flesh. 

Sif turned, panicked, and then saw that she had almost fallen. “Are you ok?” she shouted over the pelting of the rain. 

“I think so!” Georgiana cried, pulling her arm free of the brambles and hurrying to her. Together they hurried up the steps and ducked under the covered shelter. The back of Georgiana’s wrist stung as she moved it, and when she glanced down she saw that the flesh was torn, a large thorn protruding from it. Wincing, she pulled it out and blood began to drip free. 

“You need that seen to,” Sif said, guiding her towards the medical unit. 

***

When she came out of it, the rain had long since stopped and she was drier than bone, although her mussed hair showed signs of bedragglement. Thor laughed when he saw her. “What happened to you? A run-in with the Frost Giants?”

“Shut up,” Sif retorted, coolly, turning to Loki. “Your wife and I were caught in the rain. I left her in the medical unit.”

Loki stared at her. “What?”

“Some enchanted sword if it can’t protect you from a little rain,” Thor laughed. 

“More than a little rain; you know what thunderstorms are like here,” she retorted.

Loki took a step forward. “What happened to Georgiana?”

His tone was fierce and urgent, and Thor and Sif both stared at him for a second. 

“Well, she-” began Sif, and then Loki pushed past her without a word and left them gaping after him. 

“So much for her being a problem for him,” Thor muttered. 

***

Georgiana stepped from the unit, her arm tightly bandaged and healing, and was about to turn left to go upstairs when Loki almost cannoned into her. She laughed. “I didn’t know you were that eager to see me.”

Loki looked at her carefully. Nothing wrong in her face, her head, no bruises or broken skin. His eyes travelled lower and then he spotted the bandage on her arm. “What happened?” he asked, not knowing he could suddenly care that much about her, or indeed, about anyone. 

Georgiana gave an embarrassed smile as he picked up her wrist, holding her gently so as not to cause any more pain. “I fell. I mean, I was running and I caught it on the brambles. Sif said I should get it seen to or it would get infected.”

His anxiety turned to relief and she saw it, but made no comment. “I think you need to start being a bit more careful,” he said, kissing the back of her wrist. 

“You say that like I’m accident prone,” Georgiana teased stepping closer to him. 

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” he reminded her. 

She thought back, trying to find the incident he was referring to, and then she saw it in her mind, clear as day, the incident of the fall, and the awkwardness, and the miniature dragons. 

She had been ten, if she remembered rightly, putting Loki at eighteen. It had been another of their visits to Asgard. Nothing really all that interesting had happened to her that day, and she had been sketching outdoors when it had started to rain. Not wishing her sketchbook to get ruined, she had run, not caring how ladylike it was to life her skirts up to her knees and take enormous strides in doing so, at the time, inside and started up the stairs. But her boots, wet on the marble, had slipped and she had fallen a little way down the stairs. She hadn’t been seriously injured but her knee had hurt with bruises and she remembered how she willed herself not to cry over something so silly. And, back then, she hadn’t been able to find her way so easily to the medical unit, so she had sat on the step and waited for the pain to leave. 

That was how Loki had found her, well, he had almost tripped over her; he would have done if he hadn’t seen her in time and checked his step. “You know that’s really not the best place to sit,” he had said, stopping on the step above the one she was sitting on. 

Georgiana had nodded and then shifted across to give him room to step down. Feeling obliged to do so, Loki had sat down next to her and asked “What’s wrong?”

She had turned to him and said, with a small shrug. “I fell. That’s all.”

And he had found her sudden quietness a whole lot more irritating than her dogged following-him-around-all-the-time. It had been an awkward few seconds, both of them sat on the same step, neither of them saying anything, and then a servant had come along carrying an empty tray, the one with the miniature dragons carved into the steel. Loki had smiled to himself. Here was a perfect distraction for both of them. 

He had raised his hand and the dragons had risen from the steel, much to Georgiana’s awe and delight. The servant hadn’t even noticed until they had started to roar at him. “Goodness me!” he had blustered, almost dropping the tray as they began to fly around him, roaring and rippling and breathing sheets of white fire that didn’t catch, but just melted into the air like mist. The poor servant had turned left and right and then all about in a circle until he had dropped down dizzy onto the floor and the dragons had proceeded to, quite literally, run rings around him. 

And Georgiana had laughed, and Loki had joined her. 

She smiled at the memory. “You were always good at making me feel better, even when you didn’t mean to,” she said, reaching up to wrap her arms about him. 

Loki smiled down at her. For a second, he realised just how worried about her he had actually been, when Sif had mentioned her being in the medical unit. It being Sif, the hardened warrior, he had naturally assumed, not the worst, but something a lot more terrible than a minor run-in with some brambles. And the relief he had felt at knowing that it wasn’t something to be so worried about after all...what, he asked himself, was all that about? Amid this sudden attraction he had for her, could it be that he was beginning to care about her too? Was it more than just the idea of possessing her; having her as the one who wanted him? 

He scoured his feelings and decided that, yes, he did have a little affection for her. After all, he had said it before; she was very easy to like. Fondness, that was it, nothing more, for a wife who was devoted and mischievous and vulnerable. 

And she probably had it for him too; fondness. There was no better word for it. 

He leaned down to kiss her, suddenly not caring if anyone saw them, Thor, Sif, the Warriors Three, anyone. Georgiana smiled against his lips and pressed closer to him. Here he was, once again making her feel better, perhaps without even realising it; because, she decided, that was just the kind of person he was. And she always felt better when she was with him. 

It only occurred to her afterwards, as she slept beside him under the sheets, that that incident had happened on the same day as that little evening exchange on the steps outside, when he had responded to her greeting, and asking to sit beside him, in a surprisingly pleasant manner.


	14. Madness and Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't actually mean to make this much of a crossover with the first film, but, oh well, it's happened now. Bear with me, all die-hard fans, some stuff will end up changing!

For once in his life, Loki was glad that Georgiana wasn’t around. Four weeks onwards from her incident with the thorn bush in the rain had been spent rather uneventfully (apart from what he and his wife got up to behind closed doors, of course, and that was more enjoyable than any battle or other form of entertainment) and now suddenly all this action had happened. The Frost Giants had come to reclaim what was rightfully theirs, the Casket of Ancient Winters, and though they had not succeeded, their destruction had been brutal. Thankfully, however, they had no rivalry with Althrop, or rather the people of Althrop had never stolen anything from them so they felt no need to invade it, and therefore Georgiana had been in no danger. Loki thanked whatever power that was out there that she had chosen today of all days to go back and see her siblings, and her mother, although she had sounded more excited at the prospect of seeing her brother and sister, he reflected. 

Now, Thor, being Thor, as Loki knew him, was adamant that the only way to stop the Frost Giants from slipping past Asgard’s defences a second time, and with a bigger army, was to fight them before they got the chance to. However Odin was adamant that they wouldn’t come back and that Thor’s idea was, well, let’s say not a great one. Silently Loki had to agree; it was a mad idea, but on the other hand, his brother had a point. What if the Frost Giants did come back? There was nothing to stop them from slipping past their defences a second time. 

It was a small consolation, but it was enough, as they sat discussing it on the steps, to inspire Thor to have an even madder idea.

“No!” Loki said, firmly. “No, no, no, no! I know that look!”

“It’s the only way to ensure the safety of our borders,” Thor insisted. 

“Thor, it’s madness!”

“Now you’re beginning to sound like your wife!”

Loki bristled. “Don’t talk about her like that!”

His sharpness hardly surprised Thor. After all, he for one was certain that Loki’s feelings for Georgiana were changing. But he did raise his eyebrows at how quickly his jibe had provoked a response from his brother. “Sorry,” he shrugged, mildly. 

“About what?” Volstagg had just come up to them. 

“Nothing,” Loki said, quickly. “Thor was just making a jest.”

“The safety of our realm is no jest.” Thor got to his feet. “We’re going to Jotunheim.”

So saying, he had left the room with Volstagg hurrying after him with an exclamation of “What? Jotunheim? Thor, have you lost your mind?” Loki remained sitting for a few minutes, thinking. This could work to his advantage, he realised, providing that they were stopped from reaching Jotunheim in time. And then...endless possibilities. 

There was just one thing; Georgiana. She would worry if she came back and found he had left her without a word. I must do my upmost not to get killed by the Frost Giants, he thought, getting to his feet. Perhaps if he was lucky he could convince Thor, and the others, because of course Sif and the Warriors Three would back his brother in this, to wait until evening to launch a surprise attack on Jotunheim. That would give him time enough to alert a guard to the fact that they were going, and to bid his wife a private goodbye. 

***

It was early evening, or rather late afternoon by Asgard standards, since it was still light, when Georgiana hurried back up the stairs to their shared room. Her siblings had tried to persuade her to stay longer, but she had laughed and insisted that Loki would probably be missing her. That, she reflected now, probably hadn’t been much of a lie after all. 

Pushing open the door, she was surprised to find him sitting on the bed, fully clothed, and reading a familiar looking volume. At the sound of the door closing, he looked up at her and she smiled. 

“I borrowed your book,” he greeted her. 

“So I see,” Georgiana laughed, kicking off her shoes and clambering onto the bed beside him. Loki held out an arm and allowed her to snuggle close to him as he wrapped it around her. “And how do you find it?” she asked, glancing at the page. He was more than halfway into it already. 

“Not bad,” Loki replied, absently playing with a stray strand of her hair. “A bit far-fetched, though.”

“Well, perhaps you just don’t appreciate great literature,” she teased. She had said that before, he remembered, right after their first civilised conversation. Suddenly that seemed like ages ago now. 

He took a deep breath, running his fingers lightly up and down her shoulder for a few seconds and then shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I can’t put any response to that into words, so...”

“So?” Georgiana frowned and then gasped as she felt him unfasten her corset strings beneath her clothing, with magic. “Loki of Asgard!”

Loki laughed. Alright, thought Georgiana, remembering what he had said about magic, about feeling what you wanted it do, and bracing herself to try it, two can play at that game, husband. 

It worked more effectively than she had expected. Loki sat up at once and Georgiana burst out laughing at the expression on his face as his trousers hit the opposite wall. That was it. There was no way around it. He was going to have to ravish her. 

“Were I in any kind of sadistic mood, you’d be severely punished for that,” he told her, tossing her book aside, flipping her over and pinning her down. 

Georgiana laughed again, teasingly. “I’d just like to see you try that, Loki!”

With a quick gesture, he had her completely bare beneath him once again. “I will admit you’re getting better at magic, though,” he replied, before he kissed her. 

Georgiana stretched and allowed her eyes to flutter shut. Yes, she thought, he had missed her, even if he didn’t say so. 

Loki allowed himself to forget what was about to happen with Thor and Sif and the Warriors Three and the Frost Giants. If they were doomed to meet their maker in Jotunheim, then at least he could have made love to his wife one last time. He could die happy that way. 

A loud knocking came at the door and they both started. “Whoever it is, they can wait,” Loki muttered, flicking a hand at the door to lock it. 

***

By the time they had had their fill of one another, the knocking had ceased. It occurred then to Loki that it had probably been Thor come to collect him for battle. The fact that he had given up knocking hadn’t bothered him; Thor would never go into battle without him when he had promised faithfully to stand beside his brother in this. Presently, as he had expected, it started up again, and then the sound of voices outside the door. Georgiana raised her head and Loki motioned for her to be quiet as the voices became clear. 

“See? He’s not answering,” came Thor’s. 

“Well, maybe he’s somewhere else,” came Hogun’s. 

“The door’s locked,” Thor replied, “from the inside.”

“Hey, he shares a room with Georgiana now,” came Sif’s voice. “Maybe they wanted a little privacy.”

Loki, having had enough, made two gestures; the first to magic himself back into his clothes and the second to unlock the door. Georgiana, having no thought to use magic herself, quickly scrabbled off the bed, dragging the sheet with her and ducked into the bathroom as Loki made a third gesture to cause the door to swing open and Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three blinked at him in surprise. 

“You know we can hear you,” Loki said, drily, sitting up.

Thor sighed. “Are you coming or not?”

“Give me a second.”

“We’ve wasted enough time waiting around-”

“Oh, let him say goodbye to his wife,” sighed Sif, pulling the door shut. Loki was obliged to her for that. Being a woman, even though she was a warrior too, he supposed that she was more aware for the needs of privacy for a married couple. 

Georgiana ducked back out of the bathroom, wrapped in the sheet, a frown writ on her face. “What’s going on?” she asked.

Lok turned to face her. “Probably should have said before; Asgard was attacked by Frost Giants whilst you were away.”

“What?”

“No one got hurt,” Loki reassured her. “But now Thor’s got it into his head to, well, go to Jotunheim and have it out with the Frost Giants.”

Georgiana’s breath caught in her throat. “That’s madness!”

“That’s what I said. But his mind’s made up.” Loki picked up his sword and fixed her with a serious look. “He needs me, Georgiana. Someone has to save him from his stupidity.”

Georgiana nodded, understanding, although panic was rising in her like a wave. She took a deep breath and then stepped up to him. “You’ll...you’ll be careful, won’t you? Promise me?”

Loki looked into her eyes. All that was there was fear and panic, all for him. He had been right about her being fond of him, devoted even. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring look, a mischievous smile. “You don’t need to worry about me, Georgiana.”

“Please?” she whispered, her voice trembling. 

“Very well. I promise I’ll be careful. Now,” he added, pulling her close, “do I get a kiss for luck?”

Georgiana flung her arms around him and kissed him with as much passion as she could muster at that moment, although it was taking all her self control not to start crying. “Good luck,” she murmured. 

***

The Bifrost burst into the palace, carrying the Asgardian warriors, and Odin, home again. From their window, Georgiana saw it and relief burst into her heart at the sight of Loki. She had spent most of the evening trying to sleep, but finding it difficult to do so, had resorted instead to pacing in front of the open window, wondering how long a battle with Frost Giants could take, and worrying that Loki might be hurt. So the sight of them all back, looking none the worse for wear, apart from Fandral, who was being hurried to the medical unit by the other warriors, was more than welcome. 

She hurried down the stairs and practically flew into the courtyard, interrupting whatever Odin and Thor were disputing, as they both broke off and fell silent, watching her fling herself into Loki’s arms and cling to him in sheer relief. 

“I told you you didn’t need to worry about me,” Loki muttered, quietly, so that only she could hear. 

Georgiana pulled back, and, with no regard for the fact that they weren’t alone, kissed him firmly. Loki forgot himself for a moment, kissing her back, feeling that same pleasure as before. 

Then, Odin turned back to his older son, full of anger. “Have you forgotten everything I’ve taught you? What of a warrior’s patience, cunning?”

“While you wait and be patient, the Nine Realms laugh at us!” Thor snapped back. “The old ways are done! You stand giving speeches while Asgard falls!”

“You’re a vain, cruel, greedy boy!”

“And you are an old man and a fool!”

Time seemed to stand still then. For a second, everyone was very aware of the quiet, the stillness in the air, like they’d been physically frozen in time by Thor’s words. When Odin next spoke, his words were calm but they could all feel something terrifying lay beneath them. 

“A fool, yes. I was a fool to think you were ready.”

Georgiana realised what he meant. He was talking about Thor taking the throne. Clearly this hot-headed act of attacking the Frost Giants had proved that he wasn’t ready, in his father’s eyes, to rule Asgard. 

Loki took a step forward. “Father-”

Odin shot him a look that silenced him, and Georgiana bristled in his arms. "Thor Odinson... You have disobeyed the express command of your King. Through your arrogance and stupidity, you have opened these peaceful Realms and innocent lives to the horrors of war. You are unworthy of this Realm unworthy of your title unworthy of the loved ones you've betrayed. I hereby take from you your powers. In the name of my father and of his father before I cast you out!”

So saying, Odin used his magic to strip Thor of cloak, crest and hammer and, with a crack of thunder, Thor was thrust backwards into the open Bifrost, swallowed up by it and then, then he was gone. 

***

Any attempt on Loki’s part to try to get Odin to change his mind was wasted. Even Frigga couldn’t sway him. Odin insisted that if Thor wanted to return to Asgard then he had to earn it, by proving himself worthy. His fate was in his own hands now. 

Georgiana could understand that, well enough, but she hated the way that Odin snubbed her husband, snapping at him all the time whenever Loki tried to raise a point. This may have gone unnoticed by Odin and Frigga, but not Loki. No, he noticed the tight look on her face, the way her hands twitched each time he was slighted by Odin, and it felt good, he realised, to have someone support him for once. 

Odin eventually left the throne room, looking agitated. The second he was gone, Georgiana exhaled a heated sigh and folded her arms. Loki turned to her with a smile of amusement. 

“Glad you’re on my side,” he commented. 

“Thor’s right,” she muttered, bitterly. “He is a fool.”

Thoughtfully, Loki held out a hand to her. Frowning, Georgiana took it, watching him curl his fingers through hers as he pulled her forwards. “Loki, what are you-?”

“I just want to try something,” Loki interrupted, leading her up the steps to the throne, and then, to her surprise, he guided her to sit on it. A sudden sense of rebellion filled her at the thought of defying Odin and, rather than perch upon it, as many women would have done, had they been in her position, she allowed herself to sit back on it, spreading her skirt about her. 

Loki took a step back, studying her and then smiled. “Yes. I can see it; Queen of Asgard.”

Georgiana laughed. “Not ruling alone, I hope!”

“Of course not.” Loki stepped forwards, placed his fingers beneath her chin, tilted her head back and kissed her. She hadn’t been at all reluctant when he had called her “Queen of Asgard,” he noted. Perhaps her devotion for him was so much that she would follow him whichever way he went. That was good, he decided; he wouldn’t want to rule Asgard without her. “Though it’ll probably be a while yet.”

“With Thor exiled to Earth?” Georgiana raised her eyebrows. “Don’t tell me that you haven’t been secretly hoping for something like this to happen to him?”

Her returned her mischievous look with one of his own. “You know me so well.” 

Georgiana laughed in delight as he picked her up, swung her about and kissed her again. She had been right about his strength, if he were able to pick her up like this without any effort at all. Her feet were inches from the ground, but she felt in that second like she was flying a lot higher. Everything had completely changed for her, she realised. She had been blinded before by Odin’s might and justness before, had thought that he was kinder than he was, but now she saw that no, if he was willing to outcast his own son – alright, so Thor had had it coming, but still, his own flesh and blood – then she had no problem whatsoever with rebelling against him. Added to that, his constant putting down of her husband made her blood boil, and if it weren’t for the fact that she was ever so slightly afraid of him, she would have slapped him for it already. 

No. It was time for a change in Asgard. Time for someone who deserved a chance at ruling to take the throne.


	15. "I Stay Because..."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

The Warriors Three may have been tough, loyal, brave soldiers. They may have been strong, true warriors, who fought like wild animals when roused. And they may have been the greatest fighting force to back a Prince of Asgard in a battle against any mighty race. 

But they weren’t so good at holding their own in a game of cards. 

Georgiana smiled at the looks on their faces as she finally put down her hand to show that, once again, she had beaten them. “I give up,” Fandral muttered, shaking his head in wonder. “Are you sure Althrop’s not a gambling kingdom?”

“Well,” Georgiana replied, simply, gathering up the cards as they all pushed them back in her direction, “there may have been one or two incidents, some time ago...”

“How can you lot be playing cards at a time like this?” sighed Sif, watching from her seat. Her hand hadn’t left the hilt of her enchanted sword all morning. “Thor’s banished. We should be pushing the Allfather to change his mind, not just sitting around.”

“Always the warrior, Sif,” Volstagg commented, glancing at his injured arm, which was healing but still blackened by the touch of a Frost Giant. They had all suffered minor injuries in the battle, all except Loki, and Georgiana was grateful for that. 

“Loki’s done all he can to try and change Odin’s mind,” she said, feeling the need to speak up for her husband since he was no longer in the room. “At any rate, it is only banishment, not death. The Frost Giants could have killed you all.”

“Laufey said there were traitors in the house of Odin,” said Hogun, who had been very quiet for some time. 

Everyone turned to look at him. “Why is it every time you choose to speak it has to be something dark and ominous?” Fandral asked. 

Hogun’s expression was just as dark and ominous as his words had been. “A master of magic could easily bring three Jotuns into Asgard.”

He glanced meaningfully at Georgiana. She stiffened. “I hope you’re not implying what I think you’re implying.”

“Loki’s always been one for mischief,” agreed Fandral, “but you’re talking about something else entirely.”

Sif, however, looked thoughtful. “Who else could elude Heimdall’s gaze with tricks of light and shadow?”

Georgiana, rather indignantly, pushed back her chair, cards in hand, and got to her feet. “You know, I don’t think I like the way this conversation’s going.”

“No offence was meant,” Fandral, ever the peacemaker, said, hurriedly. 

“But it is a possibility,” Sif insisted. 

“Why?” Georgiana turned to face her. “What possible reason could Loki have for wanting Thor banished? He’s always been devoted to him.”

Sif met her gaze with a cool look. “He’s always been jealous of him.”

“I can imagine why,” Georgiana replied, heatedly. “Given the way Odin treats him in comparison; always favouring Thor. Excuse me.”

Her words were clipped and Fandral winced at them as she turned and marched from the room, her footsteps echoing in her wake. 

“You touched a nerve there,” Volstagg commented. 

Sif sighed. “She’s got it bad. There’s no way she’d see Loki as anything but good.”

Georgiana felt a twinge of something as she left the room, doubt. Could Loki have been the cause of the-no! No, she couldn’t believe that! Then again...Sif had a point. So did Hogun. What if..?

She stopped, suddenly, thinking hard. If Loki was the cause of the Frost Giants invading in the first place, then why was that such a bad thing? Her eyes widened slightly as she realised that she truly believed in what she had just said to Sif. Given the way he had always been shunned, mistreated...what if this was some way of finding favour with Odin? If the Frost Giants invaded again, to take revenge on the Asgardians for having attacked them in the first place (and that, she reminded herself, had been Thor’s hot-headed idea, not Loki’s) and Loki stopped them...surely that had to be worth something? 

Oh, hang what Sif and the Warrior’s Three thought! What did they know? They had never had such problems in their lives! There was no possible way they could understand what was in Loki’s heart. 

But she could. 

There was no darkness there. Ambition, yes, and a desire to prove himself to his father, which some might mistake for some kind of corruption, but darkness, no. Or, she reflected, if there was any, then it wasn’t his fault. It was a case of nurture as opposed to nature. If Loki was truly dark inside, then he would surely treat her worse than he did? Alright, their relationship had been stiff and stilted when they had first been wed, but she put that down to their getting used to being around one another. He had never been cruel; he had never hurt her. Alright, they had argued, on occasion, lost their tempers, but every married couple did that; and to her mind, in books, it was always the couples most devoted to each other who argued most. Besides, he had always apologised to her afterwards. If he was truly dark, he wouldn’t care about hurting her feelings, or indeed hurting her in any way. But he did care. She had sensed it, that day she had cut herself in the rain; the tender way he had held her, kissed her wound; she had seen the worry in his eyes and then the relief. 

He might not love her; she wasn’t entirely sure his feelings could extend to that. But he did care about her, and that was enough. 

Several guards suddenly rushed past her, almost knocking her over. “Apologies!” one called over his shoulder to her. 

Georgiana steadied herself against a pillar and stared after them. “What’s happening?” she cried. 

“The King!” came the careless reply. 

Georgiana frowned and then followed them. The guards hurried towards the Vault where the ancient relics were kept, and she hurried after them, all sorts of ideas about what might have happened flitting through her mind. She arrived just as they were surrounding Odin, crouching, hefting him up. She stared. The mighty King of Asgard, fallen. Suddenly he no longer looked like a brave warrior but an old man on his deathbed. As he was lifted, Loki straightened up from the floor, his face pale with shock. 

Georgiana hurried up to him. “What happened?”

He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. “I don’t know.” His voice was on the verge of worry. “I think it’s the Odinsleep.”

“The what?”

“It happens sometimes. It helps him regain his strength when he’s weak. I wasn’t expecting it to-” He seemed to pull himself together. “It probably won’t last long. No one knows.”

Georgiana wrapped her arms about him and held him. She didn’t know how to feel about Odin’s sudden collapse, as his body was borne from the room, but she sensed that Loki needed her to be supportive of whatever he were feeling at that moment. “Maybe I shouldn’t have been so angry with him,” Loki muttered, stroking her hair, absently. 

“Angry?” Georgiana repeated. 

Loki sighed. Now, how was Georgiana going to take this? “I know his reason now. The reason I’ll never mean as much to him as Thor.”

Georgiana tightened her grip. “What did he say?”

“The Frost Giant Laufey had a son, during that battle when Odin retrieved the Casket of Winters, small for a Frost Giant, abandoned to die. So he took it, raised it with his son, his real son.” The last words were said in bitterness as he continued to caress her head and Georgiana suddenly realised the point of the story. “The monster parents tell their children about at nights.”

“Don’t say that!” Georgiana looked up at him, sharply. “You’re not a monster.”

“Then what am I?” He thrust her away from him, though not roughly. “No son of Asgard. I mean nothing to him, or any of them.”

Brushing past her, he was several steps away when her words stopped him. “You mean something to me.”

Her voice trembled but she said it bravely. Loki remained standing where he was, letting her words sink in. There was a silence as they stood in the room, not looking at one another. 

“Why do you stay?” Loki asked, finally. “You’ve seen what I’m capable of.”

Georgiana turned to look at him. Even with his back to her, she could tell what he was thinking. “I stay because you’re my husband,” she replied, and then, walking up to him, she added, firmly, “and I’m your wife.”

Her words had an effect on him. He turned, caught her up and kissed her. Georgiana clung to him fiercely, knowing now that whatever happened next she would always stand by his side, always. “Asgardian,” she murmured, breaking the kiss a second, “Frost Giant; you’re still the same Loki I married; the man I call my husband.”

Loki kissed her again, gratefully, wondering once again what he could have possibly done in life to deserve her. Letting the Frost Giants into Asgard certainly couldn’t have had anything to do with it, so what? Of course, he wasn’t about to let her know that he had done that; although if she was devoted to him no matter what, then she’d probably stand by him whether his actions were good or bad. After all, she had been so fiercely defensive whenever Odin snubbed him; she seemed to have changed her entire opinion of him, even. 

Was he corrupting her?

He pushed that thought to the back of his mind. He could not allow that to happen. Georgiana could not be allowed to become as dark as him. Nor could he allow her to be in any danger. When he made that deal with Laufey, he had to make the Frost Giants very aware that, should his wife be in any danger, any truce between them would be broken, and they would pay dearly should she get hurt. 

***

The Odinsleep was a scary thing, Georgiana realised, as they sat in Odin’s chambers with Frigga, seeing Odin so helpless and frail like that. She may have changed her opinion of him, called him a fool, but she could see that his sickness, if that’s what you could call it, was causing Frigga great distress as she sat at his side, holding his hand. 

“How long do you think this will last?” Georgiana asked her, softly. 

“I don’t know,” she answered. “This time is different. We were unprepared.”

“I never get used to seeing him like this,” Loki said, looking at Odin. “The most powerful being in the Nine Realms lying helpless until his body is restored.”

Frigga sighed, sadly. “But he’s put it off for so long now, I fear...” 

Her voice trailed away. Both Loki and Georgiana moved, automatically, to take her hand. She managed a small smile, wiping tears gratefully from her eyes. 

“We can’t lose hope,” Georgiana said, hoping she sounded positive. She might have changed her opinion of Odin now, but she didn’t want him to die, and she didn’t like seeing Frigga so distressed. 

Frigga nodded and then squeezed Georgiana’s hand. “You’re right, Georgiana. But until he wakes...”

Again, her voice trailed away and she looked over their shoulders. Loki and Georgiana turned to see the Einherjar Guard standing behind them. Georgiana frowned. Loki got to his feet and as he did so, the guards dropped to their knees in respect. With a frown, Loki glanced at Georgiana. She shrugged, equally as bewildered. 

“Asgard is yours,” Frigga finished in answer to their baffled looks. “The line of succession falls to you. Both of you,” she added, glancing at Georgiana. 

Georgiana felt like the breath had all been sucked from her lungs as she watched another Einherjar Guard enter the room, carrying Gungnir, the mighty spear of Kings. He knelt before Loki, offering it up to him. Georgiana realised then what this meant. They were about to take over the rule of Asgard. In her craziest, wildest dreams she hadn’t imagined that they might, at least not so soon. In the space of several months, she had gone from daughter of an Earl to Princess and now, it seemed, Queen of Asgard. 

“Make your father proud,” Frigga said to Loki. 

Loki took the spear up, tentatively, his expression neutral, but Georgiana could see that he liked the feel of it. She got to her feet and, as he turned to her, she couldn’t resist teasing him by bowing her head and making a small curtsey of respect to the new King of Asgard.

***

“What if he doesn’t wake?” 

Loki said nothing for a few moments, thinking over her words. “Can’t you guess?” he said, finally. 

Georgiana looked up at him. “We’ll rule Asgard? Until...”

“Until we die.”

She smiled and leaned against him. She could imagine it, see it now. The world was theirs, at last. Though, she couldn’t imagine that everyone would be happy about it. The Warriors Three for a start, and Sif, given how devoted and loyal they all were to Thor. 

She frowned, suddenly. “What if...I don’t suppose there’s any chance...of Thor coming back?”

“I can’t defy Odin’s last order.”

“No, of course not.”

“If he somehow manages to prove himself worthy as the rightful ruler of Asgard, then he’ll probably find some way back.”

“You’re not holding out much hope for that, are you?” Georgiana murmured.

Loki shook his head. “You don’t know him like I do, Georgiana. He’s incapable of any kind of change.”

Of course he’d have to take precaution there. Firstly, he’d have to break Thor’s faith, convince him that his father was dead, brought on by his son’s actions, and that their mother, out of shame, had forbidden his return. If this didn’t work, well, then there was always a back-up plan, although he couldn’t imagine Georgiana being too happy about him using that one. 

He glanced at her. She was drifting peacefully off to sleep in his arms. His heart swelled with a sudden pride at having her. He still couldn’t get over the fact that she had no qualms about him being the son of a Frost Giant; that she still wanted him, regardless. His Georgiana, his beautiful, faithful, supportive, devoted Georgiana, his wife. 

She would make a wonderful Queen of Asgard. 

He watched her fall asleep, and then, when she was contentedly and deeply in her slumber, he move, slightly, shifting her out of his arms so he could get up, and praying that she didn’t wake before he returned. She didn’t even stir. He kissed her, gently, brushing his lips to her cheek before tucking the sheets around her and moving to the door. 

“Sleep well, my Queen,” he murmured, softly, opening the door. “I have a deal to make with some Frost Giants.”


	16. Frost Giants Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Taking an apprehensive breath, Loki stepped across the icy surface towards the ruined temple. He didn’t mind admitting that he felt slightly nervous about what he was about to do. There was every chance that Laufey and his fellow Frost Giants would kill him after the damage the Asgardians had done them. Confidence was key, he reminded himself; you can never let the enemy know you’re afraid. That shows weakness, and then they can use that weakness against you. 

The Giants surrounded him at once as he entered. Laufey glowered down at him. 

“Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you,” he said, in a menacing tone. 

“I’ve come alone and unarmed,” Loki answered, confidently. 

“To what end?” Laufey asked, suspiciously. 

“To make you another proposition,” Loki replied. 

Laufey realised. “So, you’re the one who let us into Asgard.”

“You’re welcome.”

“My men are dead, and I have no Casket. You are a deceiver.”

Loki had expected something like this, as Laufey grabbed him around the throat, and he stood his ground, coolly unafraid. “You’ve no idea what I am,” he smirked. 

Laufey looked ready to kill him, but he froze in shock, as did his guards, at the sight of the blue tinge spreading across Loki’s skin. He stared at him. Loki grinned. “Hello, Father.”

He was promptly released, his skin regaining its usual colour, and then found himself seized up by Laufey. “Ah, the bastard son,” he rumbled. “I thought Odin had killed you. That’s what I would have done. He’s as weak as you are.”

Loki wasn’t hurt by such words, as was the intent, having heard worse from Odin. “No longer weak,” he replied. “I now rule Asgard until Odin awakens. Perhaps you should not have so carelessly abandoned me.”

Laufey hesitated. Loki waited. Then, Laufey took a deep breath. “Or perhaps it was the wisest choice I’ve ever made. I will hear you.”

Loki faced him, his expression serious. “I will conceal you and a handful of your soldiers, lead you into his chambers and let you slay him where he lies. I’ll keep the throne and you’ll have the Casket.”

Laufey watched him, carefully. “Why would you do this?”

Loki had been expecting this too, and he had his answer ready. “When all is done, we will have a permanent peace between our two worlds. Then I, the bastard son, will have accomplished what Odin and Thor never could.”

Laufey seemed satisfied with this response. “This is a great day for Jotunheim. Asgard is finally ours.”

“No,” Loki corrected him, “Asgard is mine. The rest of the Nine Realms will be yours, if you do what you’re told.”

Laufey considered the proposition. He was tempted, Loki could tell, though for a brief second he thought that the King of the Frost Giants might refuse the offer. Then, he nodded. “I accept,” he said. 

Loki nodded and turned to leave, when a sudden thought struck him. If something went wrong with this, if the Frost Giants for any reason didn’t do what they were told, then there was one more condition that had to be made. 

He turned back to Laufey. “One more thing.”

Laufey inclined his head, interested. “Which is?”

Loki took a deep breath. “Do what you will to Odin, but on no account is any harm to come to my wife.”

Now Laufey really looked interested. “Wife? What woman of Asgard would take you as a husband?”

“Not of Asgard,” Loki corrected him, slightly irritated by his tone. “Of Althrop. You’ll know her by the clothes she wears. If any harm comes to her at all then our deal is broken, and I will kill all Frost Giants responsible. Is that understood?”

Laufey brought his face close to Loki’s. “What’s her name?”

“What does that matter?”

“Her name!”

Loki met his look. “Georgiana.”

Laufey drew back. “The condition is understood. No harm shall come to the woman. You have my word.”

“Good.” Loki turned to leave, a slight smile crossing his face as he did so. The Frost Giants could do what they wanted in Asgard, as long as Georgiana was safe. That was the important thing. 

He used the Bifrost to return to Asgard, surprised to find, on returning, Heimdall glaring at him. “What troubles you, Gatekeeper?” he asked, undeterred by the accusing eyes. 

“I just turned my gaze upon you in Jotunheim, but could neither see nor hear you. You were shrouded from me, like the Frost Giants who entered this realm,” Heimdall said, steadily. 

“Perhaps your senses have weakened after many years of service.”

“Or perhaps someone has found a way to hide that which he does not wish me to see.”

Loki smiled. “You have great power, Heimdall. Tell me, did Odin ever fear you?”

“No,” Heimdall admitted. 

“And why is that?”

“Because he is my king and I am sworn to obey him.” 

“Exactly.” Loki stepped up to him. “Just as you’re sworn to obey me now?”

Heimdall hesitated before admitting “Yes.”

“Good. Then you will open the Bifrost to no one until I have undone what my brother has started.”

***

When Loki awoke, he found Georgiana already awake, standing in front of her mirror, wearing...what? He blinked and then realised that her outfit was more Asgardian than Althropian; a long, dark-coloured dress, simply made, without pattern, less intricate and complex in design than her usual attire. Seeing him awake, she turned to him with a smile. 

“What do you think?” she asked. “Do I look like a Queen of Asgard now?”

Loki smiled. “Very much so.”

Georgiana beamed and twirled about, letting him see the whole thing. “I made it last week. I was saving it for, well, for something like this, I suppose.”

A sudden thought hit Loki and he clambered to his feet. “Were you planning to wear it today?”

“Um...” Georgiana thought. “I don’t know. I suppose I could...”

“No.” 

She looked at him in surprise. “Well, why not?”

If the Frost Giants saw her wearing Asgardian clothes, they wouldn’t know to keep away from her. She wouldn’t be safe. “Just trust me,” he insisted, pulling her close. “Save it for another day; something a bit more special than this.”

She frowned up at him. “Loki, is something wrong?”

He offered her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “No. Nothing. But I think it would be best if you wore one of your Althrop dresses today.”

He quickly cut off any protest she was about to make with a kiss. Georgiana blinked at him and then managed a smile. “Alright, I’ll trust you.”

She trusted him. Suddenly he felt guilty, for the first time, about hiding this from her. Before he could say anything, however, a sudden knock on the door caused them both to start. “Come,” Loki commanded. 

The door opened and an Einherjar Guard looked in. “My liege, the Warriors Three and the Lady Sif have gone missing.”

Loki blanched. Heimdall. Georgiana frowned at him. “Loki?”

“Stay here,” he advised her, kissing her forehead, “and change your dress.”

***

It seemed that Heimdall was just as much a trickster as he was, Loki reflected, watching the blade of the Gatekeeper’s sword freeze just inches from his throat. It was a small victory, but now the Warriors Three and Sif were on Earth, and they were going to bring Thor back, he knew. Still, he reflected, with a smile, the Destroyer could take care of them. 

Once it was sent through the Bifrost to ensure Thor didn’t return, Loki waited for the Frost Giants and Laufey to come through. He didn’t have long to wait. They strode up to him as he pulled Gungnir from the control panel. “Father,” he greeted Laufey, “Welcome to Asgard.”

***

Georgiana could sense something was wrong. Why was Loki hiding something from her? What was he hiding from her? Something bad? She paced Odin’s chamber, nervously, twisting her hands together. Frigga, still sat devotedly at Odin’s bedside, looked up at her. 

“What is it, Georgiana?”

She sighed. “I feel like...I think Loki’s up to something...like he’s hiding something from me.” She bit her lip, worriedly. “I don’t want to think of him doing anything bad, but...”

Her voice trailed away. Frigga took a deep breath, ready to answer her, when suddenly the sounds of battle reached them from outside. Georgiana swung about in the direction of the doors. Frigga grabbed a sword from somewhere and leapt to her feet as suddenly, with an enormous effort, the doors were thrown open and a Frost Giant stormed into the room. Georgiana had never seen one before, expect in pictures, and carvings of battle all over Asgard, but she knew it instantly as a Frost Giant and she stumbled backwards, terrified. 

“Get back!” Frigga cried to her, jumping protectively in front of her daughter-in-law and swinging the sword around. It cleaved into the Giant’s shoulder, but he tossed it, and her, aside with virtually no effort at all. 

“Frigga!” Georgiana cried, as Frigga landed hard across the room, the sword flying from her hands. The Giant advanced on her and raised an arm, but a shout of “No!” stopped it from swatting her down too. 

Laufey and another Frost Giant had entered the room. “He said she wasn’t to be harmed!” Laufey reminded his man, who dropped the arm he had been about to catch her with. 

Georgiana stared at them, pressing back into Odin’s bed. “What do you want?” she cried, automatically, and then, his words sank in. “Wait; who said that?”

Laufey looked her up and down. “Hm. Perhaps he didn’t make a bad choice in you, after all.”

“What are you talking about?” Georgiana asked, all sorts of thoughts racing through her mind. 

“Stand aside. We have business with the Allfather.”

Her heart leapt, and though she was a defenceless woman against three armed Frost Giants, she knew immediately that she had to stop them from killing Odin at all costs. After all, he was helpless, and now Frigga had been knocked out cold, there was only her left to defend him. 

“I think you’d better leave if you know what’s good for you,” she stammered, flinging out her arms, protectively, as if it might somehow shield Odin from their might. 

“Stand aside,” Laufey commanded, again, his voice deeper and more aggressive. 

“You’ll have to go through me first,” Georgiana insisted. 

“I said-”

“Enough!” roared the first Giant and Georgiana screamed out as he lashed out, knocking her aside like a piece of driftwood. She collided with a candlestick, knocking it to the floor too as she landed, all the breath knocked out of her. A little way away, Loki heard her scream and froze for a moment. 

“Georgiana,” he whispered, and then he began to run towards Odin’s chamber. 

Pushing herself up, Georgiana stared as Laufey formed an Ice Blade. “It’s said you can still see and hear what transpires around you, even in this state,” he said to the sleeping form of Odin. “I hope it’s true, so that you may know your death came by the hand of Laufey.”

He raised the blade, but the blow never came as a sudden blast of energy hit him from behind, killing him before he even hit the floor. 

“And yours came by the son of Odin,” Loki said, his voice dangerous. Turning to the others, narrow-eyed, he hissed “Our deal is broken!”

A second blast of energy from Gungnir took out the Giant that had knocked Georgiana down. She scrabbled to her knees as the third Frost Giant advanced on Loki, but it stopped short and fell to the ground, a sword stuck in its back. Frigga grinned triumphantly at them. 

Dropping Gungnir, Loki turned to Georgiana, his face filled with concern. “Georgiana?” She looked up at him and then held up trembling arms for him to help her to her feet. Loki held her close. “Are you alright?”

Breathless and confused, she nodded. Frigga, standing behind the defeated Giant, watching them, didn’t know it was not completely dead yet; didn’t see it stretch an arm out, raise a hand to shoot an Ice Bolt at Loki. 

But Georgiana did. 

“Loki!” she cried, pushing him to one side, throwing herself in the way. The bolt drove into her side and she let out a gasping cry as she fell, whilst Frigga quickly finished off the Giant for good. 

“No!” 

She was aware of his cry as she fell, but she was also aware of the sudden, stinging pain and the feel of hot, fresh blood cascading free from an open wound.


	17. Not Worth Losing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

“Georgiana!” 

Loki caught her as she fell, his heart racing. Georgiana gasped in pain, struggling to breathe as she clutched the wound in her side. Loki stared at it in shock. This wasn’t meant to happen. Georgiana wasn’t meant to get hurt, and now here she was close to death.

“Oh, my!” Frigga exclaimed, clasping both hands over her mouth in shock. 

Loki picked Georgiana up in his arms and got to his feet. He would not lose her now. Or ever. She leaned against him, willing the pain to stop. But there were unanswered questions, things she needed to know.

“Loki?” she began.

“Save your strength,” he replied, stepping over the dead Frost Giants on the floor. All of this, ruling Asgard, making Odin proud of him, getting rid of Thor; none of it was worth losing Georgiana for. 

He had to get her to the medical unit, quickly, or she would be lost to him forever. 

As he hurried towards the door, Thor suddenly burst through it, bringing him up short. He’d clearly been on the verge of saying something, but the sight of a wounded Georgiana in her husband’s arms stopped him. He stared at Loki and then at the bodies of the dead Frost Giants. 

“What happened?” he exclaimed. 

“Frost Giants.” Frigga pointed to the one she had killed. “It attacked her.”

“If I don’t get her help, she’s going to die,” Loki said, his voice fiercely urgent. Thor quickly moved out of his way. He had come with the express intention of confronting Loki, but now he realised that doing so wouldn’t do Georgiana any good, and she didn’t deserve to die. Besides, if Loki was going to remain by her side, worrying about her, he didn’t have to worry about him running away, so he let Loki past him. 

“Stay with me,” Loki begged her, hurrying as fast as he could towards the medical unit. 

“I’m...trying...” Georgiana whispered, clinging to him with the hand that wasn’t clutching her wounded side. 

Loki burst through the doors, startling many of the healers, and laid her down on one of the tables, as they began to mill around her. “Save her,” he demanded, “whatever it takes!”

The healing stones were brought as he grasped Georgiana’s free hand in both of his own. Her eyes were drifting shut; she was submitting to the pain. “Georgiana, please, look at me,” Loki begged, running his fingers down the side of her face. Her eyes fluttered open, momentarily as she gasped again with the pain. “It will be over soon,” he promised, throwing an urgent look at the healers as they brought the stones. He knew that the healing would be worse than the pain she was already in, but it would save her, it had to. 

Her eyes were drifting shut again. He couldn’t lose her now, not now. 

“Georgiana, my love, please don’t leave me,” Loki begged, pressing her hand gently. 

Her eyes flew open at that and then she let out a soft cry of pain as the stones took effect. Loki held onto her hand, watching the stones crush and then the wound began to heal, though it was a slow process. Georgiana felt that she couldn’t take it any longer. Her eyes drifted shut and she fell limp. Loki threw her a frightened glance, and then realised that she had just passed out with the pain. He watched as the powdered stones continued their work, knitting the torn flesh together, until, finally, the wound was nothing but a scar. 

He breathed out and pressed her hand to his forehead in relief. She would be alright. 

“Georgiana, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, ignoring the fact that they weren’t alone. “This wasn’t meant to happen. You weren’t meant to get hurt. Why did you go and do something so foolish like that?” In his heart he felt that he already knew the answer. He kissed her hand and then brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. At his touch, she stirred, and then blinked up at him. He met her gaze with a concerned one and then she squeezed his hand back. He smiled and helped her as she tried to sit up. 

“Careful,” he murmured. 

“You’ll be alright, my lady,” interjected one of the healers. “Just try to take it easy from now on.”

Georgiana nodded, not really taking in his words. Her eyes were on Loki. 

“You just called me “love,” she whispered. 

“I know that,” Loki replied.

A smile broke over her face and she hugged him, tightly. Realising just how close he had been to losing her, Loki hugged her back, winding his fingers into her hair, holding her so tightly he thought he might break. There was no point in denying it any longer. He loved her. So much that it hurt. 

No harm would ever come to her again, he vowed, not as long as he was living. 

Outside the medical unit, Sif joined Thor, who was watching the scene a little way off. She shot him a look. “What gives? Now’s your chance to stop him.”

Thor turned to her. “I think he’s stopped already.”

“What are you talking about?”

Thor nodded into the medical unit. “Georgiana got hurt by the Frost Giants.”

Sif let his words sink in. “What? You mean...?”

Thor nodded. “I think he’s found something more important to him than the Throne of Asgard.”

Sif glanced at the scene; Loki and Georgiana clinging to each other, and suddenly found it hard to take in that someone who had just sent Frost Giants to try and kill Odin could be defeated so easily by feelings for his wife. “It’s got to be a trick.”

“I don’t think so,” Thor replied, shaking his head. 

“You’ve gone soft being on Earth,” Sif insisted. 

Thor glanced at her. “Sif, when they first got married, Loki didn’t seem to care two pins for Georgiana, and now suddenly he’s worrying about her all the time; well, you saw the way he was when she hurt herself on the brambles. You can’t deny that was genuine.”

Sif had to grudgingly admit that he was right. “Fine, but I still don’t trust him.”

“I don’t either,” Thor replied, glancing at her. “He is my brother, after all. But if all his concerns are for Georgiana, then I doubt he’ll be doing anything else to endanger Asgard any time soon, not if it endangers her.”

“Hm,” was all Sif had to comment. 

“Your Highness.”

They turned to see a guard behind them. He bowed his head. “The Allfather has woken.”

***

Loki was surprised that Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three didn’t mention his part in bringing the Frost Giants to Asgard, and he suspected that they had bribed Heimdall not to do so as well, once he had been thawed out. There had to be a reason for that; but whether it was to do with Thor not wanting his father to be ashamed, or rather more ashamed of Loki than he was, or for their mother to be hurt, or for some other reason, blackmail, perhaps, well, there would be time to find that out later. Odin had merely been told that the Frost Giants had come to Asgard, breaking through the same way they had last time (well, that part was true, at least) to seek revenge for Thor’s idiocy – his words, Loki had also been surprised to hear; that they had taken the Casket, frozen Heindall, attempted to kill Odin and had severely wounded Georgiana. Odin had accepted the story, but been more intrigued to hear about how Thor had finally managed to prove his worth and get back to Asgard, as well as defend Earth from the Destroyer into the bargain. 

In a way, Loki was a little grateful for that; it gave Odin less time to reflect on the story he had been told and find out what had really happened. Of course, Georgiana had questions, and now was the time to answer them. 

“Why would the Frost Giants come back if Odin had made a truce with them?” was her first, and then, her second, before Loki could even answer her, “Loki, did you know something about all of this?”

Loki sat down next to her. This was going to be more of a challenge than any battle he had ever partaken in. “First of all, Georgiana, you need to know that the reason the Frost Giants came through in the first place was...because I let them.”

She was stunned into silence for a few moments. “Why would you do that?” she asked, finally. 

He glanced at her. Her eyes were wide, still so trusting of him. “It was all part of a plan to...to do what Odin and Thor could never do!” He got to his feet. It was easier if he didn’t look at her. “To destroy Jotunheim with the Bifrost Bridge; to prove my worth to Odin!” He sighed. “You getting hurt wasn’t part of the deal.”

Georgiana was silent for a few minutes. Then, she spoke in a small voice, “Do you plan to finish what you’ve started?”

The slight note of accusation in her voice was like a sword between the shoulder blades. He still didn’t look at her when he spoke. “No. Not at the cost of losing you.”

Georgiana took a deep breath. “The Frost Giant, the one was going to kill Odin; the one you killed-”

“Laufey.”

“Laufey?” Georgiana stared at him. “You mean-?”

“What of him?” Loki interrupted, bluntly. 

“He said that you said I wasn’t to be harmed,” Georgiana stammered. 

Loki looked at his feet. “I said that if you were in any danger, our deal was broken.”

That explained what he had said upon killing Laufey. “He wasn’t the one who knocked me down,” she began.

“He didn’t stop it, though, did he?”

Georgiana was silent. No, he hadn’t. He hadn’t berated or punished the Giant that had cast her aside. He had simply moved to kill Odin. And Loki, in his anger at having had his wife knocked down, been betrayed by the Frost Giants, when they had broken their promise not to harm her, had killed those responsible for hurting her. Had Frigga not got there first, she imagined that he would have also finished off the Giant that had nearly killed her. 

Loki raised his head, still turned away from her. “Georgiana, you’ve been hurt too many times because of me.” He took a deep breath, knowing that what he was about to say was going to be more difficult in practise than in theory. “I think you should leave Asgard.”

Now it was Georgiana who felt like she had been run through by words. “What?”

“You’ll be safer.”

Georgiana gave his back a defiant look and then clambered off the bed. Now she knew for sure what was in his heart. He cared about her safety. But she would be damned to Earth before she would let anything tear her away from his side when he needed her. 

So, she went straight up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug. Loki glanced at her. “Georgiana-”

“You’re not shutting me out,” Georgiana said into his shoulder. “I’m never leaving you.”

Loki turned, prising her off him, but only so he could pull her properly into his arms and kiss her. “I can’t promise you’ll ever be safe from me,” he whispered, urgently. 

“I don’t care,” she whispered back. “I want to be with you.”

“Knowing what I am? What I’ve done?”

“I married you for better or for worse. I’m never leaving you.”

He could feel where her hands were moving to and stopped her quickly, breaking the kiss. “You’re meant to be taking it easy,” he reminded her. 

She gave him a look. “Loki-”

“No,” he insisted, and then, to her surprise he picked her up and carried her to the bed. “We have all the time in the world for that.”

***

Loki was woken the following morning by a soft tap on the door. Georgiana, sleeping peacefully beside him, didn’t stir, a good thing, he thought, she needed her rest. He quickly got to his feet and opened the door in case whoever was knocking kept it up and woke her. Unsurprisingly it was Thor. 

Loki closed the door quietly behind him and leaned against it. “Am I to be punished?”

“Why? Are you planning to bring more Frost Giants here?” Thor asked, his tone serious. 

“You think I would? After what happened?”

“How can I trust you to tell me the truth?”

“Georgiana nearly died!” Loki hissed. “Do you think I’d risk her life again?”

Thor raised his eyebrows. “You’ve changed.”

“So have you,” Loki replied, arms folded. 

Thor acknowledged it with a small, brief smile. “She means more to you than ruling Asgard?”

“I never cared about ruling Asgard,” Loki admitted. “I just wanted to be your equal; acknowledged by the man we called Father.” He glanced at the door. “None of it’s worth losing her over.”

Thor shrugged. “I can believe you. But that doesn’t mean I trust you.”

“Then why don’t you tell the Allfather I was responsible?”

“Because I don’t think there’s any point, given that you killed the Frost Giants who were about to kill him. Plus I can see Georgiana’s devoted to you. I think you being cast out of Asgard would crush her.” He turned and started for the steps. “Oh, and I also hate it when Sif’s right,” he added. 

“Right,” Loki muttered, turning to the door, “and now I can get back to my wife.”

“But understand this.”

“I’m listening.”

“If you ever endanger Asgard again, I’ll cast you out myself. And I don’t mean an exile on Earth. I mean I’ll fling you from the top of the Bifrost Bridge without any Bifrost to pull you into another realm.”

“Understood.”

Thor turned on his heel and left. Loki wasn’t worried, though. He had no plans to bring harm to Asgard again...but he did have a plan to keep Georgiana safe. Of course, it was going to tear him to bits, but it was the only way. He had been pondering all night and was certain that he had the best possible solution. 

For now, however, he was content to lie down beside her as she drifted awake. “Hello,” he murmured, pulling her close and kissing her.

She smiled. “What happened while I slept?”

“Nothing.” 

What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.


	18. Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Georgiana stretched as the sunlight tickled her cheek. After being woken briefly by Loki crawling back in beside her, she had nodded off again but now she felt fully awake. Lying where she was, however, with his arms about her, it was impossible to get up without disturbing him, so she remained quite comfortably on her side, reflecting on the events of the night before. 

Loki had admitted that he loved her. 

In her heart of hearts she had hoped that he might, but she had never really believed that he would, or at least, that he would ever admit to it. But he had done. True, she had been drifting in and out of consciousness at the time, and who wouldn’t be with an injury as painful as the one she had received from that Frost Giant, but she knew what she had heard, and then when she had confronted, if that was the right word, confronted him about it, he hadn’t denied it. 

He loved her. 

Her feelings were confirmed; there was no darkness inside him. A man filled with any amount of darkness couldn’t possibly love another person; she knew that for a fact from all the books she had ever read. She had, on occasion, even seen it in Althrop before; people consumed with so much darkness they didn’t give a jot for anyone, not even people close to them, or who were related to them. But Loki wasn’t like that. She thought over once again the way he had reacted when she had been hurt; the agonised crying out of her name, the rapid begging of her to cling onto life, to stay with him, the tender way he had scooped her into his arms and hurried her to the medical unit, the urgent demand to the healers to save her, the desperate clinging to her hand and then the final piece of the whole puzzle, the utterance of his feelings, the confession of the love he felt for her, as he begged her not to leave him. 

Everyone else in Asgard believed him incapable of love, but now she knew for sure that they were wrong; and she hated herself for ever doubting or questioning his feelings. 

“What are you thinking about?”

Georgiana started slightly; she hadn’t noticed him wake. Turning to look at him, she smiled, softly. “You,” she replied, her voice light. 

His fingers were entwined with hers, she realised, and she curled them tighter about his hand in a gesture of adoration. Loki pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and she released his hand to twine her arm, as best as she could, about him, holding him closer to her. Her heart was racing with every second as her fingers finally found some refuge in his shoulder. His kisses were intoxicating, being near him was intoxicating, and she loved every second of it. 

“How are you feeling?” Loki murmured, his hand drifting to the spot on her side where she had been scarred by the Ice Bolt. It wasn’t a large mark but she would bear it forever, he knew, and it hurt, it physically hurt, knowing that he had been the reason for her receiving it in the first place. She had, after all, thrown herself in the way, taken the shot herself, to save him. Once again he reflected on the fact that he simply didn’t deserve her. 

“I’m fine,” Georgiana replied, and then, glancing at where his hand was, added, her voice sounding a little stronger, “It doesn’t hurt now.”

Loki restrained himself from flinching when she said that. “It doesn’t hurt now.” She was unintentionally drawing attention to the fact that it had hurt, at the time, so much that she had passed out with the pain of it. Her pain was his now. Nevertheless, he returned the smile she offered him as she finally pushed herself up into a sitting position. 

“I need a bath,” she yawned, stretching again, feeling that she needed to wash the events of the previous day off her. They seemed to cling like dust in the air around her. 

Loki grinned, mischievously, at her. “I might join you.”

“Oh, might you?” Georgiana teased back, hiding her inward surprise. She hadn’t considered the possibility of bathing alongside him, but now that she thought about it, the idea was rather appealing. 

“Well, someone’ll need to wash you now you’re meant to be taking it easy,” Loki returned in an equally teasing tone.

Georgiana couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “I’m not an invalid, Loki.”

She was about to get out of bed when he suddenly caught her about the waist and pulled her down on top of him. She let out a soft startled cry of “Oh!” and then looked up at him. 

“Would you rather I didn’t care?” he asked, seriously, his tone soft, and his eyes searching hers for the answer. 

Georgiana smiled. “Of course not.” She patted his arm. “I know it’s only natural for you to worry about me after what happened.”

“Georgiana, if it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place.”

“Loki, please don’t start that again,” Georgiana sighed, pushing herself up in his arms. “I don’t blame you. I blame that Frost Giant that tried to kill you.”

“They were only here because of me.”

“Loki.”

“You could have been killed.”

“But I wasn’t.” Georgiana cupped his face and looked him straight in the eyes. “I refuse to hate you, or blame you, for what happened. We all do stupid, reckless things sometimes. It’s just the way people are.”

Loki sat up, causing her to sit back on her heels. “I don’t want you in danger again, Georgiana. Ever.”

She smiled. “Very well, then. I promise to keep out of danger from now on.”

She was teasing him. “Georgiana,” he began, with a wry smile. 

“And now,” Georgiana continued, rolling off the bed and turning to face him, “I’m going to take a nice long bath. Perhaps you’d care to join me?”

Loki watched her go, feeling a great rush of affection and admiration for her. Doing what he had to do to keep her safe from him would hurt more than any injury sustained from an Ice Bolt, and the knowing that she had forgiven him for bringing that hurt upon her cut like a knife. Saving her from him would only serve to twist the knife deeper into the wound, when the time came, of course. But he could afford a little time before that, to spend with her, to reaffirm his affections for her. The one thing he hadn’t wanted to do was abandon her today, so soon after admitting his feelings for her; to make her feel suddenly unloved. He had to be subtle about it. Sif and the Warriors Three always described him as a “trickster,” he reflected, clambering from the bed; and he would have to be here; he would have to lure Georgiana into a sense of false security, to make her think that she was safe with him; and then prove her wrong. What he did might shock her to the bone later, but that was probably for the best. Perhaps it would make her see sense, make her realise that everyone else was right about him all along. She didn’t deserve someone as dark as him, just as he didn’t deserve her devotion. 

He stepped up to her as she was pulling her towel off the drying rack, the bath already filling. She turned to him with a coy smile, holding the towel against her, even though she was still in her nightgown. He wrinkled his nose. “What is that smell?”

“Lavender.” Georgiana indicated the bath oils. “And ginger.”

He shook his head. “That’s going to have to stop.”

Georgiana let out a short, indignant laugh. “Don’t you want your wife to smell nice, Loki?”

“You already smell wonderful,” he insisted, spinning her into his arms and kissing her again. She submitted for a moment and then, with a small “Mm!” against his lips, pulled away. “It’ll overflow!”

He released her as she quickly began fussing with the taps and the temperature. Truth be told, he didn’t really care what smells she combined in the bath; it was just that opportunity to tease her again had been too good to pass up. And it was true; her natural scent was heaven enough without all those manufactured aromas. 

She turned, slowly, as teasingly as she had been with him on their wedding night, and slowly began to pull her nightgown off over her head. He stepped forwards to help her, unable to tear his eyes away from the painful-looking dark pink slash mark across her side where she had been wounded the night before. It stood out against the pale white of her skin. Never again, he told himself; if it was the last thing he ever did, he would make sure that she was never hurt like that ever again. Though, he reflected, he had made that promise to himself before, and she had still been hurt. 

Georgiana, for her part, remained completely careless about her injury as she helped him out of his own night attire with a sudden urgency, one that he recognised from the night before. Pulling her close, he kissed her, revelling once again in the feel of her naked body pressed up against his, the heat rippling between them, the sudden duet of their heartbeats in time. Georgiana was so lost in kissing him that she barely noticed him pick her up and set her in the bath until her feet met what felt like half a foot thick of bubbles and then soothing warm water. Wordlessly he climbed in behind her and when they were both comfortably settled, she leaned against him and closed her eyes, completely relaxed at the feel of the water and his arms about her. Loki lost himself in thinking about her, about every little detail he had come to fall in love with. He knew by now that Thor seemed to have lost his heart to some human woman on Earth, but she could never be anything as beautiful, or good, or pure, as Georgiana. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he suddenly found himself hoping that wearing Asgard clothes was as far removed as she would ever be from her native Althropian traditions; that she wouldn’t change her hair to make it more like Sif’s, or his mother’s. It just wouldn’t be right for her. As it was, her hair looked beautiful; well, she was beautiful all over. No human could ever hold a candle to such beauty, and then there was her feistiness, and her understanding nature, the caring way she reacted to anything he said or did; the way she had reacted to his confession at bringing the Frost Giants to Asgard. Oh, she was wonderful in every single aspect; every second with her was a blessing. 

Her eyes flew open suddenly. “I’ve just had a thought.”

“Enlighten me,” Loki replied. 

“Thor must know how the Frost Giants came through by now.” Georgiana sat up and glanced at him. “Won’t he have told Odin?”

Loki smiled. “I already spoke with Thor. He’s not going to say anything.”

“He isn’t?” Georgiana felt relief wash through her, and then a slight hint of suspicion. “Why not?”

Loki quickly relayed the reasons Thor had given him for his silence, omitting the part about the threat to throw him off the Bifrost Bridge and into non-being should Loki ever endanger Asgard ever again. Georgiana listened in silence, nodding in agreement and stifling a giggle about Thor admitting that he hated Sif being right about things. When he was done, she gripped his hand, taking a deep breath. 

“So...I suppose this means our brief reign over Asgard is over?” she guessed. 

Loki smiled. “It will come. Eventually.”

“If you have anything to say about it?” Georgiana teased, brushing a few bubbles off her kneecaps. 

Loki pulled her back against him. “You’re going to make a wonderful Queen of Asgard someday, Georgiana.”

She glanced up at him. “You really think so?”

“Yes.”

Once again his tone was soft and sincere, and she knew that he meant it. She smiled. “Well, I think you’ll be a great King someday.”

He sighed, inwardly. She really did believe that he was a good man. It looked like fooling her into thinking as much wouldn’t require much trickery after all. Still, he tried to push the thought of being away from her out of his mind. Better to just enjoy what time they had now together, to live as if today were the last day of their lives. It would probably be the last time they ever got to be together like this. 

So, he allowed himself to relax and spend the precious hours they had left in the company of the woman he loved. They spent the entire day together. After clambering from the bath, once the water had cooled so much that Georgiana started shivering (of course, she put on a brave face and insisted that she was alright, even though her teeth were chattering slightly and she needed several vigorous rub-downs with a dry towel before her skin regained its usual colour – not that he minded doing that for her) it was back to the bedroom where, in spite of some half-hearted arguing and a little pouting on Georgiana’s behalf he insisted that she wear one of her Althrop dresses again today (because she looked at her most beautiful in them) and she finally decided to compromise by wearing one of her more simple gowns that still showed off her beauty but which made her feel less of an outsider in Asgard due to lack of frills or other frivolous decorations reminiscent of her grander dresses. She had looked, a little, even hinted through looks, that she would rather roll back into bed with him than dress and go down to breakfast, but Loki was still a little wary of her being involved in such vigorous love-making after being so badly injured the night before that he distracted her mind with a question about sketching and that stopped the subtle looks in their tracks. 

Though, he reflected later, it would be a pity not to make love to her one last time, but then, on the other hand, he supposed, they still could later in life; even if they would need to keep it behind a smoke screen. 

Breakfast felt slightly stilted, with Thor shooting Loki secret looks of suspicion and wonderment, Odin insisting over and over again to Frigga that he was perfectly fine now and that it had just been a little Odinsleep, not an illness – “you know it happens from time to time, woman, and each time I come out of it perfectly alright,” – to which Frigga replied with little “Yes, dears,” in a tone that indicated she was agreeing with him for a quiet life and that nothing could induce her to stop worrying about him when he was in that state. Georgiana, for her part, kept her eyes on Thor, wondering what he made of that fact that his brother had, against all odds, fallen for her. He met her eyes, suddenly, and she felt like he was searching her soul, seeking confirmation that Loki’s feelings for her were as genuine as his own for that human woman he had met on Earth. She quickly flickered her gaze to her plate and then back to his eyes, a gesture she hoped could pass for the equivalent of a nod. He seemed to take it as such, for he suddenly smiled, briefly, a genuine smile, and then went back to his food without looking at Loki in any way again for the entire meal. 

“I don’t think Thor trusts you,” Georgiana murmured to Loki when they eventually left. She slipped her arm through his as they walked, hoping that anyone watching took account of this and realised what it must mean. 

“If he did, he’d be the fool I always took him for,” Loki replied, calmly. 

Georgiana laughed. “I just hope he doesn’t make trouble.”

Loki glanced at her. “Trust me. He won’t.”

She leaned against him as they walked and he reminded himself once again that she did trust him, and it ached, it really did. He had never imagined that feeling like this about anyone could ever be painful. How did that line in that book of hers go again? “Love is both a blessing and a curse; so why do we crave it so much, and fight to hold onto it when it might be snatched from us at any moment?” Why, indeed?

The rest of the day passed as a blur of movement and colour, and all Loki was really aware of was being with Georgiana for each second of it. She could do that; make the hours of a whole day melt together like paints in a palate; time meant nothing; existence meant nothing; all that mattered was the here and now. He was vaguely aware of some pinpoint moments of the day; a chess game; a test in magical abilities that concluded with the pair of them running around the grounds like children as their magical illusions ran riot; standing on a hill to watch the sunset; but without Georgiana in them, moments like that could never be seen as anything special. She made them so. 

By the time night rolled around, Georgiana was so exhausted that she collapsed into bed without even undressing. Loki watched her fall asleep, so many feelings for her rushing into his heart all at once. The time to leave her and do what he had to do was coming all too fast. Suddenly he felt like a prisoner faced with execution and there was no escape. All the magic in all the Nine Realms couldn’t make time stand still. The hours ticked by until he knew it was time to make his move. There was just one small thing he had to do first. 

Georgiana awoke in the early hours of the morning and was surprised to find, when she rolled over, that Loki’s side of the bed was quite empty. She sat up and then realised that hi side was not only devoid of her husband but that it hadn’t been slept in at all. 

“Loki?” she said, pushing herself up and looking around. But she was alone in the room. Puzzled she clambered to her feet and then noticed that her sketchbook was lying open on her dresser. 

She picked it up. 

The page showed a simple sketch of the back view of a woman in Althropian dress leaning out of a window, clearly looking for, or possibly waiting for, someone. Her hair was a neat mass of curls that looked very similar to her own. The dress she wore was very much like the one she was wearing, as were the boots. It was her, and the window, what she could see of it, looked very like the one in their shared bedroom. 

Beside the sketch, in neat pencil, were written the words “Good morning, my love.”


	19. After the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

The deal with the Chitauri.

Reaching Earth.

Enslaving Selvig.

Being “escorted” to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Being imprisoned.

Killing Coulson.

Escaping prison.

Being beaten into submission before being return to Asgard.

And all the time, one thought in mind. 

‘Do it for her.’

***

“This doesn’t make sense!”

It was the third time Georgiana had said it that day, but the first time that Odin, Frigga, Sif and the Warriors Three had heard her say it. Sif was worried about Thor on Earth, as she had been the first time; and Georgiana suspected, as she always had done, that it was due in part to Sif’s feelings for the Crown Prince of Asgard. The Warriors Three, on the other hand, were agitated out of their loyalty towards their friend. “We should be there,” Volstagg had been muttering over and over again. 

Georgiana paced the Bifrost Bridge, looking agitated, knotting her fingers together in her despair. The same degrees of agitation and despair were also showing on Frigga’s face, although she wasn’t pacing, instead choosing to remain standing at her husband’s side. Odin’s face was surprising calm, although his eyes were dark with fury and Georgiana suspected that inwardly he had always known that something like this would happen. 

But why? Why was it happening?

Heimdall turned his head towards her. “I know it’s not something you want to hear, Georgiana, but I don’t make mistakes. Loki’s trying to take over the Earth.”

“But why?” Georgiana spun to face him, her voice cracking slightly with emotion. “What possible reason could he have for doing something like this?”

Heimdall looked at his feet. “That much I can’t see,” he admitted. 

“Does he need a reason?” Sif’s tone was bitter and Georgiana whipped her head around, indignantly, to face her. Sif shrugged. “It’s Loki.”

“Shut up,” hissed Fandral. 

Georgiana bristled. “I know what you’re all thinking-”

Sif opened her mouth to interrupt but a look from Odin stopped her. He turned to Georgiana and indicated for her to walk with him. Shooting Sif a defiant look, Georgiana calmly turned and fell into step alongside Odin. 

“Georgiana,” said Odin, presently, his tone unnaturally quiet, and Georgiana realised that he didn’t want to be overheard. “I’ve known Loki a lot longer than you have. I know what’s in his heart.” Georgiana doubted that very much but she said nothing. “He’s always been ambitious, more so than Thor; and the darkness-”

“What darkness?” Georgiana felt anger rise up in her. Hang keeping her voice down with Frigga and the others present. “I have known him since we were children and I have never seen this mythological darkness that you keep talking about.”

“Mythological?” Sif broke in. “You’ve seen for yourself what he’s capable of!”

“Hush up, can’t you?” Fandral insisted. 

Odin’s eyes were dark again. “I assume you know his parentage?” he muttered in a low voice to Georgiana. 

She raised her head with dignity. “I know you took him from his homeland after he was left to die, yes. I know you raised him with Thor. And I know that you never saw him as a son. A Frost Giant could never be an Asgardian in your eyes.”

Though her voice was low and none of the others could catch her words, there was no denying the note of bitter resentment in her tone when she said them. It was Odin’s turn to bristle. “My entire life I have done all I could for that boy.”

“Yet you’ve always made it known that he’d never be good enough. Not as good as Thor at any rate.”

Frigga, to break the tension, turned to Heimdall. “What now?” she asked, hoping for some change in news. 

Heimdall shook his head. “Still battling.”

Georgiana sighed and turned to him. “There must be some reason for all of this.” She shot Sif and the Warrior’s Three a look before they could raise an opinion. “Something we’re not seeing.”

“As his wife, I’m surprised you don’t know it,” Volstagg commented, neutrally, without any sarcasm or malice. Georgiana had decided long ago that, out of all the Warriors Three, she liked Volstagg the best; he was more level headed than the others. 

She managed a small smile of acknowledgement. “That makes two of us, Volstagg.”

“All this talking,” sighed Sif, her hand twitching on her sword hilt. “We should be doing something, not just standing around watching.”

Heimdall half-smiled. “I think Thor and his new friends on Earth can handle it, Sif. They seem to have a plan.”

Odin strode up to him. “Let us know if anything changes.”

“What will happen if Thor brings him back?” Hogun asked, speaking up for the first time. 

There was silence for a moment; an awkward one as everyone waited with baited breath for Odin’s reply. 

“He’ll be locked up,” Odin said, finally. “Highest security we have.” Georgiana flexed her hands and he turned to look at her, sensing her agitation building. “I’m sorry, Georgiana. I wish it could be any other way.”

“We all do,” Frigga added, comfortingly, taking Georgiana’s hand.

Georgiana, however, didn’t return the squeeze. Inside her heart, all her love for Loki, all her devotion and admiration, was turning everything she had ever felt for these people around her into pure dislike. She could hear the words that Odin was saying, about how he had tried to do right by his second son, about how he wished there were something he could do other than commit him to lifelong incarceration, but she couldn’t believe that there was any truth in them whatsoever. 

“His darkness consumes him,” Heimdall stated, although whether this was an update on what was happening on Earth or whether it was simply an additional comment to what Odin and Frigga had just said, no one knew. Before anyone could even ask, Odin thought to add “Consumes us all.”

Georgiana snapped. She just snapped. “Darkness?” She released Frigga’s hand with more vigour than she had originally intended as she stepped up to face Odin. “Perhaps the darkness is there because everyone tries to look for it where it isn’t! Perhaps the darkness is born from a darkness all around us when we grow up without love, Allfather!”

Odin, who could be equally as temperamental as both his sons rolled into one when the mood took him, turned fully to face her. His eyes were ablaze with anger but, at Frigga’s warning look, he quickly controlled his temper and his tone was even when he replied “Or, perhaps you’re just too blinded by your own feelings to see it, Georgiana.”

“He’s a better man than you give him credit for!” Georgiana shouted. 

Everyone took a step backwards and blinked at her. No one, not even Thor, had dared raise their voice as loud as that to Odin before. Odin stared at her but before he could respond, Heimdall turned his gaze in the direction of the control panel. 

“Loki’s defeated.”

They all turned to him. Heimdall hesitated and then nodded, seeing what they had all been waiting for. “Thor has him. They’re returning to Asgard.”

Georgiana turned and fled from the Bifrost Bridge, leaving the others staring after her in shock. 

***

Standing before the Allfather and Frigga, heavily cuffed and with guards on either side, Loki felt that he could afford to be flippant. 

“I really don't see what all the fuss is about,” he smirked.

“Do you not truly feel the gravity of your crimes?” Odin asked. “Wherever you go there is war, ruin and death!”

Did it matter, as long as Georgiana was safe?

“I went down to Midgard to rule the people of Earth as a benevolent God, just like you,” Loki replied, wondering how much Georgiana knew about all this, and, more to the point, how much her faith in him had been shattered. 

“We are not gods,” Odin argued. “We're born, we live, we die, just as humans do.”

“Give or take five thousand years.”

“And all this because Loki desires a throne...”

Odin really thought he was that callous and shallow, didn’t he? “It is my birthright!”

“Your birthright was to DIE!” Odin thundered. “As a child, cast out on a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in, you would not be here now, to hate me.”

“If I am for the axe, then, for mercy’s sake just swing it!” Loki snapped. 

Odin said nothing. Suddenly his expression changed as his eyes turned in the direction of the doorway. Frigga turned her head, her expression blank. Loki knew what was coming even before he followed their example. Georgiana was standing there. His heart gave a leap. She looked terrible. Beautiful, still, yes, but terrible to anyone else’s eyes; pale, drawn, exhausted with anxiety, her eyes slightly shadowed and her hair mussed from where she had been running her hands through it. No one spoke. There was no need for words, as far as Georgiana was concerned. She looked into Loki’s eyes, and though his face appeared smug, even proud of himself, the conventional villain, all she saw there was the man she loved. 

Still without a word, she stepped towards him and then, reaching him, kissed him, wrapping her arms about him, seeking reassurance in his response. And she found it. Then, with a great deal of reluctance that he didn’t convey in front of their audience, Loki pushed her away and allowed himself to be led from the room. Georgiana watched, willing him to look back. When he didn’t, she turned, bravely, facing Odin and Frigga. Odin took a deep breath and stepped down from his throne, but before he could reach her, she turned and hurried from the room. She didn’t want his comfort, or Frigga’s. The only thing she wanted was Loki near her. 

***

Had he done the right thing? 

Yes. Georgiana had to be protected from him whatever it took. 

Still, he reflected, pacing the cell, life without her in here could be very boring. Of course she would insist on visiting him, but it wouldn’t be the same as being able to spend every second of the day near her. 

But then, this way, he wouldn’t be tempted to do anything that might endanger her ever again. 

Even as he was thinking this, the door was opened. He didn’t need to look around to know it would be her. The second the door was shut, Georgiana stepped up to the bed. Resting both his hands on the wall, Loki conjured up a smoke screen of darkness to give them some privacy and then braced himself for the confrontation. 

“Why would you do something like this?”

Her voice trembled slightly and he couldn’t bring himself to answer. 

“Loki?” Georgiana stepped up until she was standing directly behind him. “Please don’t shut me out. I’m not angry. I just want to know...”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the birthright of a Frost Giant to wreak havoc,” Loki cut in, bluntly. 

“Loki-”

“It’s time to accept that you married a monster, Georgiana.”

“Don’t say that!” Georgiana cried. “You are not like them!”

Loki spun to face her. “How can you say that after what happened?”

“This again? I thought we’d settled-!”

“You could have been killed!” His temper had hit boiling point and without thinking his powers lashed out. The ornamental vase came racing towards her before he had a chance to think about stopping it. But Georgiana, in an equally quick movement, blocked it with a gesture of her own magic. The vase halted in mid-air and then, with a gesture, she pulled it towards her and caught it one handed. Loki was impressed, but his concern for her quickly took over. 

“You see?” He watched her settle the vase down onto the floor. “You need protecting. From me.”

Georgiana stared at him as it all sank in. He had known that his actions would imprison him. He had done it for her. To keep her safe. Her heart suddenly swelled with love. Oh, how could he have done something so heart-wrenching just for her? 

Unable to meet her eyes any longer, Loki dropped his to the floor. Numbly, Georgiana stepped forwards and then, to his surprise, wrapped her arms around him and held him. 

“Don’t drive me away with all that “monster” stuff, Loki,” she said, into his shoulder. “You told me that you love me. If that’s true, then you can’t be a monster, because monsters can’t love.” 

Loki wrapped his arms around her. What could he have possibly done to deserve someone as wonderful as her? 

“Was it true?” Georgiana persisted. “Do you love me?”

“I love you,” Loki confirmed, holding her close. 

She tightened her grip. “And I love you too. I always have.” 

***

It was the first time they had made love in days. Whether it was something to do with the fact that their feelings for one another were finally out in the open or to do with the fact that the previous few days had shown them just how short life could be, neither of them were really sure, but whatever the case, it was the most passionate evening either of them had ever spent with another person. Neither of them wanted it to end as they clung to one another as if it were the last night they ever would spend together. Of course it wouldn’t be; Georgiana would see to that. She had, after straightening herself out, sorting her hair, her face, changing her dress, confronted Odin about such matters earlier in the day. 

“You won’t be denied any access,” had been Odin’s reply. “He is the prisoner, not you.”

His tone had been soft, in light of her initial anger at him, but she couldn’t find it in herself to forgive him. She wasn’t blinded by love, how dare he accuse her of such a thing? She just knew what was in Loki’s heart, more than he did, more than anyone did. 

When she eventually left, after they had pulled their clothes back on and exchanged reassurances of love, and kisses, Loki lifted the smoke screen and then flopped back onto the bed. His back ached where she had dug her nails into his skin in her passion, and when he rubbed one of the spots, his fingers came away bloody. 

He couldn’t help smiling. The first night they had slept together, she had bled because of him, because he had hurt her. Now he was bleeding where she had hurt him. Ironic. 

But she would never be corrupted by him, he knew. She would always be a pure white rose amid a world of chaos he created, a drop of sunlight in the night sky, beauty amid darkness. Odin had been right, after all, he reflected. She was perfect for him. He just wished that he could be perfect for her. 

Perhaps loving her was a start, he thought, rolling over to try and get some sleep amid the noise of the prison.


	20. Feeling Your Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

They were all around her; the Dark Elves, their eyes bright in the night and their weapons glowing like flames. Georgiana stumbled along, searching for a weapon, anything that could defend her, but it was no good. They were too fast, too strong and their reflexes were a thousand times greater than hers. Any weapons that hit them were rendered useless in one hit. She cried out, wondering why no one came. The whole of Asgard was peppered with the Elves and their darkness; it washed over the kingdom like a great wave of blackness, smooth as ink, as they scattered, destroying everything in their path. Her heart was racing though her limbs felt like lead as she tried to escape from them; was it their influence that was doing that to her, or her own fear? Where was Loki? Where was Thor? Where were Sif and the Warriors Three? Where were Odin and Frigga? Where was anybody who knew how to fight these things better than she? There ought to be the crash of sword upon sword as the Asgardians fought back to defend their kingdom. Where were they all? She was alone and surrounded, drowning in a sea of darkness. Moving on heavy limbs, she stumbled, suddenly, and fell, grabbing a pillar to steady herself, and then, looking up as she sank to the floor, into the evil eyes of the Ruler of the Dark Elves, leering at her in triumph, Georgiana screamed. 

She jerked awake with a sudden thrash and as she felt the familiar comfort of the mattress and pillow beneath her and the blankets around her, she realised it had just been a nightmare. Automatically she felt about her. Loki’s side of the bed was cold without him there. She felt tears spring into her eyes. It had been three days since he had been locked up, but it felt like three years. 

She struggled to clamber out of bed. The past two nights she hadn’t been able to get any sleep at all. It was hard to adjust to sleeping alone after spending almost every night of their marriage in the same bed as her husband. Slipping on her slippers, she glanced at what she could see of their bed in the dark. The outline of her side was mussed and tossed, whilst the outline of the other side was neatly made, unslept in. She bit her lip, willing herself not to cry. 

“You’re being silly, Georgiana,” she muttered, taking a deep breath. But somehow she couldn’t bring herself to clamber back into the empty bed. Suddenly she felt like a child again; after nightmares she had always had trouble sleeping in the same bed and often had to climb in with her parents. Her brother and sister had been the same, although they had often climbed in with her to sleep rather than their parents. She remembered that night Loki had comforted her after a nightmare. That was what she wanted right now. She couldn’t face getting back into bed without him. Not tonight. 

The whole castle was silent as she padded her way down the stairs, reminding herself that the guards couldn’t begrudge her a night time visit to her husband. After all, she was Princess of Asgard, and Odin himself had said that she wouldn’t be denied the opportunity to visit Loki. They couldn’t keep her out just because it was night. Besides, surely one look at her bedraggledness would be enough to convince them that the visit was a necessary one?

She sighed, trying to straighten her hair out with just her hands. It wasn’t just the nights; she missed him being there all the time. She missed his teasing her; missed his wit; their conversations; and she couldn’t help thinking that he would have surely had something to say about the bath oils she had combined together that morning. Closing her eyes, she could almost hear him saying “Lavender and pear, Georgiana? Are you trying to smell like the palace gardens? You’ll be attracting butterflies next!” Little things like that, that were gone when he was, she missed. She just missed them. 

One guard raised an eyebrow at her as she approached. “Bit early to be visiting, isn’t it, Your Highness?”

Georgiana fixed him with a look that clearly said that she was in no mood for jokes. “May I please see my husband?” she asked, in a tight little tone. 

The guards exchanged a glance, then a shrug and then, finally, straightening up, they admitted her. 

***

No sleep with her, Loki thought to himself, staring up at the ceiling of his cell, and even less without her. How was that for irony? Of course, the noise from other inmates in their cells didn’t help either, but even so, it was strange not waking up next to her anymore. 

Even as he was thinking it, the door opened. With a frown he sat up to see Georgiana slip into the room. He quickly took in her appearance; mussed hair, tired eyes; she’d obviously had a restless night of it, just like him. Then he noticed the troubled expression on her face. 

“What is it?” he asked. 

Her voice was heavy as she drifted up to him. “I can’t sleep.”

Loki shifted up on the bed and held an arm out to her. Georgiana allowed her tiredness to drag her down next to him and settled her head on the pillow. The prison beds weren’t made for two people, but there was just about enough room for them to sleep quite comfortably together. Loki wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, softly. Georgiana sighed. “I hate this. I hate not being near you; not being able to wake up, or fall asleep, with you.”

Loki hesitated. “Do you hate me for it?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t hate you.” She pressed closer to him. “I could never hate you. But I just wish that...that this hadn’t happened.” Loki was silent a moment, so she added “I mean, I can understand why it happened. I know you want to keep me safe.” 

“You’re too understanding,” Loki murmured, remembering the first time he’d said that. 

“No,” Georgiana corrected him, entwining her fingers with his. “I’m just in love, with someone-”

“Unpredictable?” Loki finished for her. 

She smiled. “You know, they say that when couples start finishing each other’s sentences, then it must be true love.”

He returned her smile as she settled down in his arms. True love. Well, he knew that he would never want anyone else in the whole of the Nine Realms to be his wife, and her previous visit to Althrop had proved that she would never want anyone but him for a husband; as had her reaction to all the things he had done in an attempt to distance himself from her and keep her safe. After everything, she stayed with him. 

Comforted by this, he quickly followed her into sleep, and when they both woke in the morning, neither had found themselves plagued by nightmares of any kind. 

***

It became a routine. The guards learned to expect it. Each evening, Georgiana would dress for bed and then make her way down to the cells. The guards would let her in and she and Loki would sleep until morning. Of course, this brought delight to several of the other prisoners as well, seeing her float in wearing nought but a nightgown and they called out crude encouragements in loud voices; until Loki took to blocking the window with a smoke screen permanently to give them privacy. That soon stopped them. 

In fact, Loki was prepared to swear that Georgiana would have been more than happy to simply move into the cell with him, although if she did bring it up he would have to be extremely firm with her. As it was, they were already breaking the boundaries he had set up between them, with her coming down to sleep beside him every night. That hadn’t been part of the plan. How could he keep her safe from him if she insisted on visiting him so often? Thankfully she didn’t bring up the subject of possibly living alongside him in the cell, and he was grateful for that. She probably knew better than to ask. 

However, she did live for the time they spent together. 

Life in Asgard wasn’t easy now, after all that had happened. Her anger at Odin’s actions and her loyalty to Loki had driven a wedge between her and the others. Sif and the Warriors Three rarely spoke to her, probably out of fear that anything they said would provoke her temper. Odin kept his distance too, and whenever he did speak to her, it was curtly but without any trace of former fondness. Not that this bothered her. If Georgiana were perfectly honest, she had always been a little scared of Odin, as a child, and then even as an adult his power had intimidated her, unintentionally, perhaps, but it had. And in falling in love with Loki, in seeing a different side to him, she had come to see a different side to Odin too. No longer in her mind was he the heroic, just leader she had once mistaken him for, but a foolish man who hadn’t loved his second son until it was too late, and whose pride could never allow him to accept the son of a Frost Giant as a ruler of Asgard. Sometimes she wondered what his whole purpose of taking Loki in had been, if he hadn’t intended to love him as he had loved Thor. 

Only Frigga and Thor were pleasant to her. Of course she had expected it of Frigga, for she still loved both her sons, Georgiana knew, no matter what they did in life, and she loved Georgiana all the more for loving Loki. Thor surprised her, however. In her heart of hearts she suspected that he still cared about Loki, loathe as he might be to admit it aloud. But he was pleasanter towards her than usual. Not that he had ever been unpleasant, or unkind before, but he was more considerate, often asking her, in passing, if she was alright, or how she was feeling if she looked a little low. 

“What actually happened?” she asked him one day, finally, as he joined her in the corridor. She had been in the garden, sketching, before the rain had come on, and now she was making her way to the library. Thor had approached and asked if she minded him joining her, to which she had replied “Of course not,” and they had walked in silence for a while until she had finally plucked up the courage to ask him the question that had been stalking her for days. 

Thor glanced at her sideways. “What do you mean?”

“When you stopped Loki from...” She broke off, took a deep breath and carried on a different track. “When you brought him back. What happened?”

Thor stopped. “You don’t want to know, Georgiana.”

“Yes, I do,” she insisted, looking up at him. 

“Well, he got beaten into submission by the Hulk-”

“Who?”

Thor smiled, wryly. “Dr Bruce Banner; a human with the power to turn into a powerful green monster when he’s in a rage.”

“He beat him?” Georgiana couldn’t hide the shock in her voice. 

Thor looked slightly pained. “He had to, Georgiana. I know how you feel about him but...Loki was out of control.”

Georgiana nodded. “And, what? You just brought him back home?”

“I think he’d seen sense after that beating to put up much of a fight,” Thor replied, looking away from her. Georgiana glanced at her feet, sensing that he had more to say and that she shouldn’t press him until he was ready. Finally Thor looked back at her. “Georgiana, I didn’t actually want them hurting him. I mean, I felt the man I once called brother was still in there somewhere. You’ve got siblings. Do you ever have those moments where you could have killed them, but if anyone else tried to hurt them, you’d be angry?”

Georgiana nodded. “Like only I’m allowed to hurt or be angry at them? Yes.”

Thor looked at his feet. “I don’t feel that anymore, Georgiana. I’m sorry to say it; but how can I ever trust him again?” 

He turned and walked away from her. Georgiana watched him go, and it was only after he had gone that she realised she had forgotten to thank him for not letting this “Hulk”, who sounded extremely violent and bloodthirsty in her opinion, or indeed any of these other “Avengers” he had joined with, kill her husband. She could understand him feeling that he might not be able to trust his brother ever again, would perhaps even be prepared to kill him himself should he ever endanger Asgard or betray him ever again, but she sensed that a part of him still hoped that the man he had grown up alongside still existed; and that that part still felt some degree of love towards Loki.

There would be time for that later, she decided, making her way to the library. She hoped it would be warm in there; even on the sunniest days the stone walls of Asgard made the whole palace cool inside and she had, not exactly got soaked to the skin, but had certainly received something of a soaking as she had hurried inside to save her sketchbook from the rain. 

The place was deserted, and she felt a pang at that, looking around her. A library should be a room that was used more often than this one was. When was the last time anyone, her included, had been in here? The last time she had been in here, she reflected, was probably that time she and Loki had been roused from the aftermath of their lovemaking by Odin hammering on the door. With a sigh, like a lovestruck schoolgirl, she leaned against the ladder, reminiscing in that day. It was a day that she had come to realise as one of those days when Loki started to display signs of caring about her. She remembered him asking if she was still sore from the night before. At first she had thought that he had meant that her pain would get in the way of their wanting to make love, but now she realised that he had been genuinely concerned for her, even though he had displayed that affection in a teasing way. She ought to have seen it coming, she supposed, that he would fall in love with her; it was like something written in one of those books she continued to read. On the other hand, however, she hadn’t actually thought him capable of love before; a strong caring emotion had been the best she had ever hoped for of him; a devoted loyalty, perhaps. But now he had given her far more than that. He had returned her love. 

Opening her eyes, suddenly, Georgiana realised just how warm she was feeling. The library was warm and she noticed that a slight steam was rising from her dress where it was still damp from the rain. She fanned herself with her hand, glancing around the room. There was nothing really worth sketching in here, unless she copied a picture from one of the reference books, perhaps. 

Stepping forwards, and wishing desperately for a breath of fresh air, she took one of the larger volumes off the shelf and dropped it onto the table with a dull thud. They were heavier than they looked, these texts. Flicking through it, past pictures of dragons and unicorns, she stopped suddenly on a page marked Dark Elves. Glancing at the picture, she grimaced. They were scary creatures, and she was reminded of that dream she had had, about them surrounding her in Asgard, and where she was alone, without help, where no one came to save her. She prayed that it wouldn’t happen for real. 

The movement of the flickering pages fanned her a little as she hurried past that section and found a section marked “Jotunheim.” With a frown of curiousity, she scanned the page until she found the section marked “Frost Giants.”

“The Frost Giants,” she read, quietly, “are the direct descendants of the Ice Giant Ymir, the first of the Giants of Jotunheim. They are noted for their blue skin and red eyes as well as their superhuman strength and incredible resistance to injury and illnesses. They are also immune to hypothermia but can be easily defeated by copious amounts of heat, such as fire.” She quickly fanned herself. “That makes two of us,” she muttered, before reading on. “Many are cryokinetic, thus enabling them to create their own weapons, and means of defence, from ice. In personality, they rarely show great intelligence, but are known to be cunning, quick tempered and all in all downright evil.”

She quickly slammed the book shut there with a great deal of force. Who had written it, she wondered, Odin’s father? Or someone simply trying to suck up to Asgard? At any rate, she found herself wishing that a Frost Giant were near her at that moment, the way she was feeling. 

“Perhaps I’d better open the window,” she murmured, crossing to do so. 

As she placed her hand on the latch, a sudden wave of nausea hit her and she stopped what she was doing in surprise. That was strange. Why was she suddenly feeling sick? If she were ill, wouldn’t she have felt ill this morning when she woke up? Perhaps it was something she had eaten. What had she eaten that morning? She thought back. Breakfast; some fruit and that lovely bread with butter and a little meat, although not much. She hadn’t, in truth, felt overly hungry that morning. Perhaps the meat hadn’t been that well cooked; although it had tasted fine to her. 

No sooner had it come on, however, then the bout of nausea passed. Odd, she thought, reaching up to unlatch the window. As it swung open, a gust of wind hit her, which would have been welcomed, had the wind not been somewhat warm and filled with raindrops. She withdrew her head back inside and wiped the rain from her face. Maybe it was her tiredness that was making her feel sick; that had happened before, on long carriage journeys. Even though she had spent the night beside Loki in his cell again, she had still woken up feeling tired. That might also explain her being off her food. But in her experience, it was being warm that made you tired, not being tired that made you feel warm. 

It was no good. She was going to have to stand in the corridor where it was cooler. Pushing the book on the Nine Realms back onto the shelf she had taken it from, she picked up her sketchbook and made her way out of the library. No sooner was she in the corridor, however, feeling the coolness that radiated from the stone walls and pillars wash over her, another feeling of sickness hit her. She leaned against a pillar, ducking her head and taking a few deep breaths, trying to stem down the feeling. 

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

She lifted her head up too quickly and dizziness suddenly hit her, like a slap in the face. “I don’t think so,” she stammered to the servant, and then, she felt her legs give way as she sank to the floor in a dead faint. 

***

Something was wrong.

Loki could sense it. He sat up, reaching out with all his emotions to figure it out. Someone somewhere needed help. And then he understood. 

Georgiana.

He scrabbled off the bed to hammer at the door. The guard on duty had fallen asleep but he jerked awake at the noise. “Eh?” he muttered, and then to the door “Forget it! We’re not letting you out?”

Loki rolled his eyes. “My wife needs help, you inbred fool! Send someone!”

The guard chuckled. “Well, that’s one I’ve never heard before!”

Loki all but growled the reply. Oh, where did they get such guards who were such idiots? He had no idea what had happened to Georgiana but he knew that she was in need of help. He could sense it, like feeling her pain; and if he couldn’t be there then someone else had to be. He reached out with his powers, trying to find someone to let them know. Then he heard the sound of footsteps outside the door as the second guard took his post beside his companion. 

“What news?” asked the first. 

“The Princess has been rushed to the healing room.”

“Eh? Why?”

Loki held his breath. 

“Apparently she collapsed, fainted I mean.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

The first guard muttered something; Loki had a feeling it was a curse. Then he spoke a little louder, calling into the room. “Hear that? Your wife’s just fainted! No cause for alarm!”

Loki breathed out, although a second later, fear and worry took over him again. Georgiana wasn’t the kind prone to fainting fits, he knew, so why the reason for this sudden one? 

For mercy’s sake, he thought, let her be alright.


	21. Just Between Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this chapter seems to drag a bit, I'm really sorry but I forgot half of what I was originally going to write in it! My profound apologies to all!
> 
> (I wonder how many of you guessed what was wrong with Georgiana in the previous chapter!)

Georgiana opened her eyes. For a second, everything was a blank. She couldn’t remember anything and she couldn’t work out where she was. Then it all came back to her in a blink. She had, what, fainted? She vaguely remembered being dizzy and then the world collapsing into blackness. And now she was in the medical unit. 

But what had happened? Why had she fainted?

She was about to sit up when a voice beside her said “Careful, my lady. Sit up slowly or you’ll get light-headed again.”

She glanced to her right and saw the medic who had treated her wound, that day the Frost Giants had attacked, standing beside her medical table. “Again?” she repeated, and then, sitting up inch by inch, she remembered and looked sharply at him. “What happened? Am I sick? What?”

He opened his mouth to answer but before he could say anything, Frigga came hurrying into the room, her face writ with concern. “Georgiana, are you alright?” 

“I think so,” Georgiana answered. Glancing over her mother-in-law’s shoulder, Georgiana saw Odin in the doorway, although he didn’t approach any further, like a nervous child following its mother to a friend’s house. Georgiana wondered if he was concerned for her too, or whether he had accompanied his wife to save face, or support her. She looked at the medic. “Go on.”

The medic offered her a reassuring smile. “My lady, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re not ill.”

She frowned. “Well, then, why did I faint?”

“Probably due to the heat. And you did get soaked in that shower earlier, and come over light-headed because you straightened up too quickly in the hall.”

Georgiana blinked, not quite sure she was hearing him correctly. “Sorry; am I to understand that I just passed out because of that?”

“Well, you’re not displaying any symptoms of being ill otherwise,” the medic replied, confidently. “Did you eat this morning?”

She nodded, still uncertain that his diagnosis was correct. After all, she had had extreme heat before and never fainted. Perhaps it was psychological; perhaps something to do with the slight worry she had started feeling, for Loki. She was terrified that being locked away as he was would drive him mad, as so often happened in books. 

“And it couldn’t have been food poisoning?” she persisted, swinging her legs over the edge of the table. “I did feel nauseas earlier. But it passed.”

The medic smiled, broadly, at her. “Another symptom of fainting, my lady.”

“But I’m certain-” she began. 

“You did show signs of fatigue,” the medic interrupted. “Have you had trouble sleeping recently? Or been distressed at all? Emotional distress and lack of sleep can also bring on fainting fits, you know.”

Georgiana nodded slightly. Well, it was hard to get a decent night’s sleep in a prison cell, and even harder in a room alone without her husband. Frigga shot the medic a raised eyebrow look at the mention of “emotional distress,” and at that Georgiana glanced at Odin in the doorway. He was looking at his feet and she felt that he was deliberately avoiding her eyes. A sudden bile of hatred writhed in her and she forced herself to look away and fix her face into a calm but confused expression in front of Frigga and the medic. “Yes, I had had trouble sleeping recently,” she confessed. 

The medic nodded. “Nothing to worry about. You’re perfectly healthy otherwise.”

***

She still couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right, though. The doctors might say there was nothing wrong with her, and perhaps that was true. Perhaps there wasn’t anything wrong with her. But she trusted her own instincts more than any medical facts, and to her mind she wasn’t the kind of girl who was prone to fainting. And she had been more tired than she was now on several occasions in her life; frequently on long trips to Asgard from Althrop and never come over funny before. 

Something told her inwardly that the medic knew more than he had let on in front of Frigga and Odin. She resolved to talk to him later in the day. But for now, all she wanted was to be with Loki. 

To her surprise, when she entered the cell, he pulled her into a kiss that almost asphyxiated her and she had to seize hold of him firmly to keep her legs from buckling and her body from succumbing to another fainting fit. 

“Loki!” she exclaimed, breaking away. “What-?”

“You’re alright.” He slackened his grip on her. “What happened?”

She blinked and saw then just how worried he had been about her. It was a nice feeling, she reflected, to have someone worry. “I fainted,” she replied. “That was all. The medic said it was just the heat.”

After all, why worry him more by telling him that lack of sleep might have had something to do with it? If she mentioned that, he just might insist that sleep in her own room, in spite of her own insistence that that wouldn’t help her to sleep at all, rather hinder it; and then that would provoke another argument, and she wasn’t really in the mood for one of those today. 

Loki exhaled, a sound of irritation, and Georgiana was about to ask why her fainting was a source of annoyance to him when he said “I told them something was wrong, but those idiots out there would probably have only jumped to attention when you were close to death.”

She managed a shaky smile. “They didn’t believe you?” Comfortingly, she wrapped her arms around him, a comforting motion for her as well. 

“Why would they?” Loki was holding her so tenderly that she couldn’t believe everyone else could see darkness in him when she knew that there wasn’t any. How could they; seeing the way he was with her? How could they not believe, for a second, that he was capable of loving her? “All the prisoners here hammer on the doors begging for release.”

“Well,” Georgiana murmured, feeling that she needed to say it sooner or later, “you’d have been able to help me if you’d been around.” She drew back to look him in the eyes. “Still think I’m safer away from you?”

Inwardly she knew what his answer would be before he even gave it. She could see it in his eyes, and inwardly she sighed. She loved him but sometimes she couldn’t help wishing that his stubbornness wasn’t a match to hers. 

“Yes.”

***

Heimdall seemed to have seen her coming, because he said “Evening, Georgiana,” with his back to her before she could even pluck up the courage to speak. 

She managed a smile. “Can you see everything before it happens, Heimdall?”

“Most things,” he replied, turning to face her. “What I can’t see is what I can help you with.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard; it’s probably all around Asgard by now, that I fainted earlier today, but the medics seem to think that there’s nothing wrong with me.”

“Are you coming to ask me whether you’re about to die? Because the answer’s no; not for some thousand years at any rate.”

Georgiana managed to keep herself from laughing. “No, but I was wondering whether or not...it could be something else? Something they can’t see...yet, maybe?”

“Something to do with Loki? Something dark?” Heimdall raised his eyebrows. “You fear his darkness might be corrupting you?”

Georgiana blinked at him and then outrage filled her. “How could you think such a thing, Heimdall? Why can no one else see that-”

“That you’re blinded by your love for him?” Heimdall went on. 

Georgiana glared at him. “There is no darkness in my husband, Gatekeeper! Or if there is, then it’s because Odin never treated him as an equal to his own son, because he thought that the son of a Frost Giant could never measure up to a son of Asgard!”

She pivoted around and was three paces away from him when his next words stopped her in her tracks. 

“The answer to your question’s “Yes,” anyway.”

She turned, looking into his face, wondering if he was telling the truth. “Yes?”

“Yes,” Heimdall confirmed, hands behind his back. His expression was completely neutral and his eyes were definitely not the eyes of a liar at that moment. 

Georgiana drew in her breath. “You’ve seen it?”

He nodded. “Are you satisfied?”

She maintained her dignity. “Yes, Gatekeeper. This visit has confirmed my suspicions of two things; this and how you view my husband. The same as everyone else.”

Turning on her heel, she left the Bifrost Bridge, vowing only to return there if it was a real emergency. But it was confirmed. Now she only had to see the medic, ask why he had kept it a secret from her, and then, she swallowed hard, telling Loki. What would he make of it? She crossed her fingers for luck, praying that if he did get agitated, he wouldn’t get too agitated. 

***

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

The medic looked embarrassed. “Well, I’ll admit, the symptoms were there, but I didn’t know whether it was tactful or not to say so in front of the Allfather and the Queen, given, well...”

“The current circumstances?” Georgiana finished, folding her arms. “That would have been for me to decide, not you.”

“Yes. Yes, I do realise that.”

He looked genuinely apologetic, so she waved a careless hand at him. “It’s alright. I just didn’t want to have to have found out from the Gatekeeper and had him say slanderous things about my husband into the bargain.”

The medic bowed his head. “I would have called you in for a check up at a later date, following your fainting fit, my lady. Please accept my apologies.”

“Accepted,” Georgiana replied, with a soft exhale. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to anyone else. I’ll tell the Allfather and the others in due course.”

The medic nodded and she left, feeling a small sense of achievement, mingle with a slight sense of dread. It wasn’t that she was scared of Loki; even that day when he had lost his temper with her and she had slapped him, he hadn’t scared her. It was just that she had never had to break news like this to anyone before, and she had no idea how he was going to take it. 

In the end, however, she found that she needn’t have worried. 

The smoke screen was good for keeping the other prisoners from jeering and calling out catcalls whenever she entered the cell, but it couldn’t keep out the screams from some of the mad ones, and occasionally they rang through, echoing around the prison. They were usually followed by a yell from the guards, the lash of a stinging whip, screams of pain and then silence. Georgiana longed for their room, in the quiet peacefulness of the top floor, but she longed to be with Loki more, and if she had to put up with this to be near him, then so be it. 

They were lying in silence, side by side, on the bed. This, Georgiana reflected, was how you knew when you’d found the one, the person you could spend the rest of your life with in complete bliss, when you didn’t feel the need to fill each second of silence with meaningless small talk and when you could just lie in the same room without saying a word, enjoying the silence together. 

But sooner or later she’d have to break it. 

She took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you,” she began. 

Loki turned to look at her, and when she didn’t reply straight away, he prompted “What is it?”

She turned to meet his gaze, and the words slipped out easily. “I’m pregnant.”

His reaction was one that she loved to think afterwards. What she had been expecting, she wasn’t entirely sure, but at any rate, it both surprised and relieved her. His eyes met hers and she saw there was a sudden glow in them, although his face was expressionless as he leaned over to kiss her. And then as she returned it, she felt his hand slid onto her stomach, as if to connect with the life that was growing there. 

She felt a sudden rush of pride swell within her. Their child. They were going to be parents. Albeit, their child might have an unconventional upbringing, now Loki was imprisoned, but he or she would be loved, and that was what really mattered. She couldn’t help feeling that her father would probably have been proud if he were still alive; and maybe her mother would be too when she found out, although it would probably be more to do with the fact that she had been grooming her daughter to be the good wife and mother figure all her life. Nevertheless, they would be proud, when they found out, and that, as well as Loki’s reaction to the news, made her glow inwardly with pride. 

Loki, for his part, was even more proud to call Georgiana his wife than ever before. At last he, Loki, son of a Frost Giant, had achieved what Thor, son of the Allfather, hadn’t been able to. They would have a child; an heir, and if Thor spent all his time moping over his Earth woman rather than trying for a family in Asgard, then it was something he would never have. 

Oh, yes. He was proud of her. Of course it would be secret for now; it would be rather amusing for both of them to watch the others pass by Georgiana with no knowledge at all that she was pregnant, until she started to show, and then it would be funny to witness their reactions when she casually dropped into the conversation that, yes, she was going to have a baby and wasn’t that wonderful news. He could imagine that Odin would be quite shocked at the thought of the descendants of Frost Giants being born into Asgard and he smiled inwardly at the thought. 

But for now, it was just between the two of them, providing Heimdall kept his mouth shut.


	22. Protect Our Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Georgiana took it easy for the next few days. She knew that it wasn’t a good idea to get excited over the prospect of being an expectant mother so soon into her pregnancy. Things could very often go wrong in the early stages, and the last thing she wanted was for their child to die so soon after getting her, and Loki’s, hopes up. So, she made sure that she ate well and exercised too; taking evening walks around the grounds and ensuring that she got plenty of fresh air. Doing this also tired her out so that by the time she made her way to Loki’s bed at nights, she was able to get plenty of sleep. 

She didn’t consult anyone, not even Frigga, on anything pregnancy related; not even putting hypothetical questions to them. After all, part of her felt that it was really none of their business after all – the child was hers and Loki’s and no one else’s – and the other part thought, again, that it wasn’t wise to get other people’s hopes up for the prospect of a baby so soon, just in case something went wrong. The only people she did talk to about it were, naturally, Loki, and the medic who had treated her. The fact that no one else in the palace seemed to notice anything different about her, or said anything, told her that he had kept his promise and not revealed her secret. Frequently, without anyone else’s knowledge, she visited him in the medical unit for updates on the baby, and her own health. Each time it was confirmed that both mother and child were fine, and when she was at least two months gone and no sign of anything likely to go wrong with their child, she began to relax and feel more excited about the prospect of motherhood. 

“What are you hoping for?” she asked Loki. “A boy or a girl?”

Loki’s eyes met hers and she could see that he was thinking hard about the question. “I don’t mind,” he said, finally, “although,” and here his eyes sparkled with mischief, “if it’s a girl, it’ll probably be a lot like you, and I think one Georgiana is enough.”

Georgiana laughed and swatted at him, pretending to be offended. He joined her laughter and pulled her close. Georgiana snuggled against him. “I haven’t told anyone. Well, I keep going to the medical unit but the medic there knew before I did, and he’s sworn to secrecy, so I talk to him about it sometimes. But no one else.”

Loki glanced down at the top of her head and felt, yet again, a pang of regret for not being with her constantly anymore. “You may have to draw me a picture of Odin’s expression when he finds out.”

Georgiana giggled. “Can you imagine? I have a vision of it all coming out over the breakfast table. Thor’ll probably faint with shock!”

Loki smiled, picturing the image. “Odin will probably fall off his chair.”

Georgiana pressed closer to him. “Serves him right if he does.”

“I never thought I’d live to hear you say that,” Loki replied. 

She sighed, softly. “It’s like I was seeing the world through tinted glass before. I thought I could see everyone for who they really were. Now I’m seeing it through your eyes; and it’s really not as wonderful as I originally thought.” 

Loki lay back, playing with a strand of her hair, absently. “That’s the love talking.”

“Oh, don’t you start,” Georgiana sighed, glancing up at him. “They keep saying I’m blinded by love for you. But they’re the blind ones; not me.”

And then, to keep him from protesting against her feelings any further, she kissed him and the matter was dropped. 

She moved through her days, perhaps a little brighter than she had been previously, and with a glow about her that made her even more radiant that usual. Loki was reminded vividly of their wedding day, of Odin telling him “Oh, she looks radiant,” and how she had done. And then he compared that version of her to the Georgiana who had come running up to kiss him following his arrest and sentence. She had still been beautiful but the light around her had died, momentarily. Now it was back and he was glad. She was his light in the darkness that surrounded him; the one thing that made him better than he already was. 

Odin, he reflected, darkly, had been right once again. He needed Georgiana in his life. 

For a moment, when she had talked about Odin falling off his chair and about seeing the world through his eyes, he had been worried that he might be corrupting her after all. But then he had decided that no, no he wasn’t. She was still his same, wonderful Georgiana. There was no darkness in her at all. He was darkness. She was light. 

So, glowing as she hugged their secret to herself, Georgiana went about trying to live life as ordinarily as possible as she settled into a routine, wondering how long it would take for the Allfather and the others to work out that she was pregnant. Slowly, as the days passed, she found herself displaying more symptoms; an aversion to poultry, for one. Suddenly chicken didn’t seem like something she should eat anymore, and whenever it was served, she found herself skirting around it with her fork and it was generally thrown away at the end of the day, or else secretly re-used for something else the following day. Of course, Frigga noticed this and asked her, one dinner time, if everything was alright. 

“I just seem to have lost my appetite for chicken, that’s all,” Georgiana replied, casually.

She did wonder then if they might work out her secret from that confession alone, but the subject was quickly dropped and written off as her simply having trouble keeping food down due to stress or just ordinary lack of appetite brought on by worry. She suspected that both of these factors were simply Odin skirting around the fact that she was still angry at him for having locked her husband away from her, although she decided against challenging him on the subject, having decided to maintain the illusion that she was content in her life now and had accepted Loki’s fate, even though she was still furious with Odin. 

She had also stopped, for the sake of her health and the baby, drinking wine, although no one paid much mind to that, given that she rarely drank the stuff anyway. What was more noticeable, however, was the fact that now the baby was starting to show. She found herself loosening the fastenings on her dress more and more each day to make room for the curve her stomach was now taking on. Sometimes, in the normal routine of the day, she would feel it kick; a soft feeling, and it made her smile each time with pride and touch the place where she had felt the small kick motion. To her disappointment, however, the child never seemed to kick when she was with Loki, so she could never have one of those moments where she could say, in excitement, “It’s kicking! Feel!” and have him experience what she was experiencing, like in all those books she had read. Occasionally, when Loki did touch her stomach, she allowed herself to hope that it might kick, but it never did. 

There’s still time, she told herself, dressing on a morning when she was almost five months into her pregnancy. There was no denying, she realised, as she turned to look at herself in the mirror, that she was looking different now, under her clothes. She smiled, thinking of how she and Loki had something of their own, a little secret, that no one knew about, and then thinking how wonderfully delicious it would be when the others found out. 

It happened that morning. Though Thor rarely put in an appearance at breakfast, he had, for some reason, joined them today. Georgiana wondered whether it was in preparation for a battle in some far off place, somewhere else in the Nine Realms. Much as she had changed her opinion of Odin, she couldn’t find it in her to hate Thor. Big-headed he might have been at one time, although his time on Earth seemed to have changed that, calmed him somewhat, she knew that he was a good person, especially in light of him looking out for her more than usual recently. And something told her that, underneath, he still loved Loki; even though he hadn’t visited him in prison and in spite of him insisting that he didn’t feel that way about his brother anymore. She remembered their conversation in the corridor on their way to the library that day when she had asked him about what had happened on Earth (how she hated that Hulk creature for beating Loki!) when he has asked if she ever got protective or defensive of her siblings the way he had with Loki.

“Do you ever have those moments where you could have killed them, but if anyone else tried to hurt them, you’d be angry?”

She suspected that he would still feel like that, no matter what he said. He may not trust Loki anymore, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t love him. 

At any rate, the three of them – Odin, Frigga and Thor - were in conversation, just talking and laughing about something as she approached, but at her cheerful and polite greeting of “Good morning,” they all looked up to greet her back...and stared at her. 

Forcing down the desire to laugh, Georgiana slipped quietly and carefully into her seat, casually unfolding her napkin and smoothing it delicately on her lap before meeting their gazes. Thor was wide-eyed, his fork halfway to his mouth. Frigga looked like she didn’t know whether to be happy or worried. Odin looked like he was asking himself whether she had always had that pregnancy curve, and, if she had, how he could have possibly missed such a thing. Georgiana blinked at them, innocently, and then asked, slowly “Is everything alright? You lot look as if you’ve just seen a ghost or something.” Then, she glanced over her shoulder, as if wondering whether they were staring at someone behind her, and then, seeing no one, turned back, pretending to be confused. “What is it?”

Frigga was the one who spoke. “Georgiana,” she said, her voice soft in anticipation, “are you...pregnant?”

Georgiana allowed herself a small, smug smile. “Yes,” she replied, airily as she reached, casually, for her goblet, “I rather think I am.”

As she spoke, the child kicked again and she laughed, dropped her eyes to her stomach and pressing her hand against the kick. Shooting her gaze upwards for a second, she saw Thor, for want of something better to do, and having temporarily lost the ability to talk, quickly eat what was on his fork; Frigga manage a smile and then glance at her husband; and Odin, looking startled, go back to his breakfast as if nothing had happened.

“Congratulations,” Thor said, finally, breaking the silence. Georgiana looked at him and he offered her a genuine smile, which she returned. 

Odin said nothing, however, as the conversation was moved, rather awkwardly, from the subject of Georgiana’s pregnancy to the concerns surrounding political conditions in Vanaheimr and once his meal was done with, he tactfully excused himself and left the hall rather hurriedly. Georgiana had a feeling she knew where he was going and resolved to go there herself as soon as she was done with her breakfast; now she was eating for two, there was no going without any meal, especially not the most important meal of the day. 

Loki, having not much else to do in a prison cell, other than read and he was getting rather fed up of the books he had with him, was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking when the door opened. To his surprise, it was not Georgiana who came into his cell, but Odin. He hid his surprise with a casual glance in his direction and a small smirk. 

“Well, well,” he commented, still lying where he was, “a visit from the Allfather. I am honoured.”

Odin said nothing for a moment, seeming to be working himself up to say what he had come to say. Finally he took a deep breath and, not looking at Loki when he spoke, said, in an emotionless tone “Georgiana...is pregnant.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Really?” He sat up, and when Odin glanced at him, he addressed the Allfather in a tone of mock bemusement. “Well, that would explain a few things.”

“You knew.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Of course I knew. She’s my wife. I was she first person she told.” Loki swung his legs over the side of bed and got to his feet. “I take it you’re not here to congratulate us.”

Odin met his carefree look with a dark one of his own. “A child of a Frost Giant in Asgard; you really think I would welcome that?”

“No, of course not,” Loki replied, vehemently. “You barely acknowledged me.” Odin said nothing. Loki turned away from him, thinking that Odin, probably having nothing else to say to him, was about to take his leave. “Or,” he added, thoughtfully, “perhaps you’re just startled that the son of a Frost Giant could achieve something that your own son hasn’t.”

“You think that your child will take the Throne of Asgard?” Odin challenged, his tone on the verge of anger. 

“Well, it is about time Asgard had a ruler who knows what they’re doing,” Loki threw at him, feeling a degree of satisfaction as he said it. 

Odin bristled. “If the child grows up as dark as you, it will be cast out. I can’t take the risk of another Frost Giant hurting innocent people.”

Loki spun about to face him. “You stay away from our child!”

Odin took a step backwards, a smooth, casual step, showing that he wasn’t in the least bit intimidate by Loki’s threat, if you could even call it a threat. “If it’s a danger to Asgard, I’m afraid I’ll have no choice.” 

Loki felt like all the breath had been knocked out of him, and by the time he took a step forwards, Odin had already left the room. His heart began to race. No! There was no way that he would let Odin do anything to their child! Lashing out with his powers, he caused just about everything in the room to turn over. He would be damned to Hel before he would let that happen!

When Georgiana walked into the room an hour or so later, she was surprised to find everything overturned and Loki looking far from calm; though he had his back to her, she could tell by his stance that he was agitated. “What happened?” she asked, all trace of her previous happiness fading. 

Loki turned, walked up to her and held her at arm’s length, firmly, looking into her eyes. “What did Odin say?”

“What?” she stammered, confused. 

“When he found out? What did he say?”

Georgiana frowned. “Well...nothing. He just looked startled.” Then, realising what must have happened between them, she gripped his arms. “Loki, what is it? What did he tell you?”

Loki didn’t answer. Instead, to her surprise, he dropped to his knees in front of her and placed both hands on her stomach. A tingling sensation that had nothing to do with the child suddenly filled her. She stood for a moment in silence, and then, unable to take it any longer, asked, her voice slightly worried “What are you doing?”

“Protection spell.” Loki met her gaze. “For both of you.”

Georgiana’s eyes widened. “Loki, what did he say?”

The spell complete, he got to his feet. “He threatened to-” He stopped himself, not sure of how to say it. His hands were still on her stomach and suddenly she felt the child kick again. And Loki felt it too. Momentarily they both forgot what they were even talking about, exchanging smiles of pleasure as the child kicked again. Georgiana beamed at him. 

“It always seemed to kick when you weren’t there,” she said, and then, catching his hands, she pressed close to him, her expression serious. “Loki, tell me; what did Odin threaten to do? Hurt our child?” 

The look in his eyes told her the answer before he even spoke. “Cast it out was the term he used.”

Georgiana drew in her breath. Surely Odin couldn’t have meant it. He was capable of a lot of things, but surely he wouldn’t do that to a child? After all, he had taken in Loki when he could have easily left him to die on that frozen rock. Or had he since changed his mind about pitying the descendants of Frost Giants?

“Loki..?” she began, her voice trembling. 

He quickly pulled her into a hug. “You’re protected,” he reassured her. “Both of you.”

She clung to him, fiercely. “He couldn’t have meant it, could he? I mean...”

Again her voice trailed away and the question was left dangling.

“Does it matter?” Loki replied, stroking her hair to soothe her. “He can’t now anyway.”

She buried her head in his shoulder, trying hard not to cry. She could understand Odin threatening to do something like that to Loki, but their child? Their child who had yet to be born? She convinced herself that Odin had to have just said it in anger, or in a panic. After all, he was probably worried that any child born of a Frost Giant, regardless of its mother being an Althropian, would have terrible consequences for the people of Asgard later in life. Even so, anger filled her at the thought of him coming anywhere near their child; and then a sudden rush of love for her husband, for wanting to protect them both. 

She drew back and kissed him fiercely; pouring every inch of emotion she could manage into that kiss. Loki returned it with the same amount of passion; both reaffirming their feelings through that one kiss. 

Protect our child, Loki thought to himself, praying that the spell would still work once their child was born, even though he saw no reason why it shouldn’t. For mercy’ sake, protect our child from Odin and every other danger. 

***

Georgiana left some time later, a newfound desire to keep as far away from Odin as possible filling her. However, to her immense irritation, he was in the library when she walked in. She pretended not to have seen him at first, making her way casually over to the shelf to get the book she wanted and hoping that she could leave without him seeing her. To her annoyance, however, he turned and addressed her. 

“Everything alright, Georgiana?”

She turned to glare at him. “How dare you? It’s one thing to threaten someone like my husband, but what gives you the right to threaten to take our unborn child away from us?”

Odin blinked and then stepped forwards, attempting to justify his actions. “I didn’t say that, Georgiana. I warned Loki that-”

Georgiana stepped quickly away from him. “Keep away from me, Odin.” Her voice was soft and dangerous. “I don’t want you anywhere near me, or our child, ever again.” 

Turning, she swept from the room. It was too late now, she told herself; too late for him to try and make amends for anything. He had gone too far this time and she hated him for it.


	23. Love and Regret...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

“Are you going to Scarborough Fair?  
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;  
Remember me to the one who lives there,  
For once she was a true love of mine

“Tell him to buy me an acre of land,  
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;  
Between the salt water and the sea sand,  
Then he’ll be a true love of mine.

“Tell him to plough it with a ram's horn,  
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;  
And sow it all over with one pepper corn,  
Then he’ll be a true love of mine.

“Tell him to sheer't with a sickle of leather,  
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;  
And bind it up with a peacock feather.  
Then he’ll be a true love of mine.

“Tell him to thrash it on yonder wall,  
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme,  
And never let one corn of it fall,  
Then he’ll be a true love of mine.

“Love imposes impossible tasks  
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme  
Although not more than any heart asks  
And I must know he’s a true love of mine...”

Georgiana smiled to herself, feeling the child kick again. It seemed to like singing. She’d gone through a lot of the folk songs she’d been taught in her childhood – that happier ones, of course – and it had kicked through each of them. Or maybe, she suddenly thought, stifling laugh, maybe it was kicking because it didn’t like them and was trying to tell her to cut it out. 

She was sitting by the fountain in the grounds, her sketchbook on her knees and a pencil in her hand, although she hadn’t sketched anything in the last half hour. She kept getting distracted by the baby kicking, and thoughts of Loki. Somehow sketching just wasn’t the same as it used to be, knowing that he wasn’t near to peer over her shoulder or stand in her light. She sighed. Much as she loved him, she wished that he hadn’t felt the need to commit those crimes on Earth that he had known would result in his imprisonment. It ached being away from him for so long now; especially now that she knew he loved her just as much as she loved him. 

True, she was slightly touched by his concern for her safety but a tiny part of her resented what he had done. Of course she didn’t hate him, she could never hate him; she had told him that much already, but even so, she just wished that things could go back to the way they had been before, back when they had been happy, and together. 

“Your father’s a great man,” she said, glancing down at her stomach as she laid her hand against another kick. “But sometimes he’s too headstrong and stubborn for his own good.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “I wonder if there’s such a thing as caring too much.” Wasn’t there a story, or a play, back in Althrop where a character claimed they “loved not wisely but too well?” She couldn’t remember what it was called. But at that moment she felt that it applied to Loki. 

“Georgiana?” 

She opened her eyes. It was Frigga. Georgiana smiled, politely, at her. Even though she had fallen out with Odin, she didn’t hate Frigga; for Frigga hadn’t done anything to hurt her. “Hello, Frigga. I wasn’t falling asleep or anything. I was just having a quiet think.”

Frigga nodded and sat down beside her. “Been sketching again?”

“I was,” Georgiana replied, showing her the beginnings of a sketch of the grounds. “But then I got a little distracted.”

She laid a hand on her stomach for emphasis. Frigga smiled. “Everything alright there, so far?”

Georgiana nodded. “I’m going for a scan today; but so far they say there’s nothing wrong. I just have to make sure I eat well and get plenty of rest and exercise.” She paused, wistfully. “I just...”

She broke off. Frigga had a feeling she knew what Georgiana was about to say, but she gently prompted anyway “What is it, Georgiana?”

“Loki should be there,” Georgiana replied, turning to her. “I know there’s no way...but it doesn’t seem right that he won’t be able to see it.”

Frigga patted her hand. “I can understand that.”

Georgiana turned to face her properly. “He isn’t a monster, like people think. Everyone says they can see darkness in him, but I’ve never seen it. When he’s with me...he’s anything but dark. Mischievous, maybe, but-”

Frigga cut her off with a nod. “I know, Georgiana. But he’s always been stubborn.” She sighed, gazing off into the distance. “You know, when we arranged for you two to get married, a part of me worried that it wouldn’t work. And then, suddenly, you seemed to make it work, and I had reason to hope after all. Now...” She trailed off and then seemed to rouse herself. “You’re good for him, Georgiana; that’s all I can say. When you’re with him, he’s better.”

Georgiana let her words sink in. Perhaps they were true; although she still couldn’t believe that anything about Loki was dark. She got, unsteadily, to her feet and stretched herself, rubbing her back. “Well, I’d better get to the medical unit. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Frigga smiled at her. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Georgiana turned and hurried, as quickly as her pregnancy would allow, up the steps and towards the medical unit. Frigga watched her go, and, once she was out of sight, and the Queen of Asgard was alone in the grounds, she reached out with her magic, reaching for where Loki was. 

“Odin continues to bring me new friends,” he commented, with his back to her. “How thoughtful.”

“The books I sent, do they not interest you?” Frigga asked. 

“Is that how I'm to wile away eternity?” Loki turned to face her. “Reading?”

Frigga took a deep breath. “I've done everything in my power to make you comfortable, Loki.”

“Have you? Does Odin share your concern? Does Thor? It must be so inconvenient, them asking after me day and night.”

“You know full well it was your actions that brought you here.”

“My actions?” Of all people, Loki hated lying to her, but he felt it spill from him before he could stop it. “I was merely giving truth to the lie that I had been fed my entire life... That I was born to be a king.”

“A king?” Frigga raised her chin. “A true king admits his faults. What of the lives you took on Earth?”

“A mere handful compared to the number that Odin has taken himself,” Loki replied, tersely.

“Your father-” Frigga began.

“He's not my father!” Loki snapped.

“Then am I not your mother?”

“You're not.”

Frigga chuckled, although her eyes looked hurt. “You're always so perceptive about everyone but yourself.”

Forgetting that she was merely an illusion, Loki went to touch her hand but his own fell right through it, shattering the image of her for a second. He looked away from her. “The only person who is real is Georgiana,” he said, meaning every word of it. 

“And yet now she’s alone, carrying your child.” Frigga waited for his reaction. When it didn’t come, she went on “If she truly means more than the whole of the Nine Realms to you, then why do this? Why attack innocent people on Earth?”

Loki spun about to face her. “I did it because she means more than that whole of the Nine Realms to me!”

Frigga blinked at him. “I don’t-”

“Understand? No, why would you?” Loki folded his arms. “And while we’re on the subject of the man you call my “father,” it might interest you to know that Georgiana’s now terrified of him on behalf of our child.”

Frigga frowned. “What?”

“Of course, he probably didn’t tell you, but he has been making threats against our child’s life.”

The look of genuine surprise on her face gave him some small degree of satisfaction. Then, she pulled herself together. “Odin wouldn’t do that!”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Loki replied, turning away from her. “Or better yet, see how Georgiana reacts the next time the three of you are alone together.”

***

Georgiana arranged herself a little more comfortably on the bed. It was a soft mattress with a matching pillow, but the fact that it was tilted slightly, meaning that she was looking up at the image created by whatever magic or Asgard power the medics possessed, meant that it was nothing like tumbling into her own bed after a long night. Her pregnancy made her tired easily but she forced herself to stay awake as she watched the medics go about their work.

“This isn’t going to be painful, is it?” she asked one of them, worriedly.

The woman smiled at her. “Not a bit, my lady.”

Georgiana exhaled, leaning back against the pillow. She wasn’t entirely sure what Loki’s reaction would be if he were here with her – although she could imagine him pacing right now as they both waited for whatever was about to happen, to happen – but it didn’t feel right doing it without him. They had reached a point in their marriage, right before all of this trying-to-take-over-Earth business, where they did everything (well, every major thing that counted) together and now she couldn’t help wishing that he were beside her at that moment; perhaps, like when she had been wounded by the Frost Giants, holding her hand or stroking her hair out of her eyes. Nerves suddenly filled her. No everything had to be alright. It had all been alright so far. 

Suddenly it hit her that she was about to see what their child looked like for the first time and excitement rushed through her. 

The medic in charge of such matters came in at that moment and smiled at her. “How are we feeling today, my lady?” she asked. 

Georgiana returned her smile. “A little nervous, but excited.”

The medic began the process and Georgiana suddenly found herself looking at an unmistakable outline in the midst of a sea of black and white wavy lines. She pushed herself up slightly, taking it all in. “That’s..?”

“Yes.” The medic smiled, gently. Georgiana felt the desire to laugh in delight rise in her, although she maintained her dignity as she stared at the image. She couldn’t believe it. That was their child. A maternal love swelled within her heart and she felt about the bed beside her, and then remembered that Loki wasn’t with her. A small pang hit her. 

“Loki should be here,” she sighed, and then a thought came to her. “I don’t suppose you could pass me my sketchbook, could you? And a pencil?”

***

Loki cast the book carelessly to one side. It hit the spot on the mattress next to him where Georgiana usually lay. As always, his mind was on her. He thought back to the beginning of their relationship; the day she had come to Asgard following their arranged betrothal. How much things had changed since then. 

When he had first learned that he was to marry her, he had been initially determined to protest against it as much as possible, and then had come around to the idea that it might be fun to torment her. Yet the way she had played with him, teased him back, had always rendered him powerless in her presence, even when she wasn’t trying. If he was perfectly honest with himself, it hadn’t just been her beauty that had had an effect on him when he had met her that day. Her sharp wit and flirtations had played a part too. And then that light that was always in her eyes when she was happy, giving her the radiant glow that always brought warmth to his heart; he remembered how he had felt when it had died momentarily on their wedding day; he hadn’t like it. And how he had quickly attempted to rekindle it, and succeeded. 

Even though she had forgiven him for it, he still hated the fact that their wedding night had resulted in her being hurt. The thought of anything happening to her; even a minor fall or graze, cut him to the core now. More so now that she was carrying their child; he prayed that she’d be careful, although the protection spell on the both should protect them from such things, besides Odin and any other enemy. Now he thought about it properly, he had hurt her more times than he had realised in their marriage; in the beginning, by being cold and distant, and occasionally even speaking with subtle harshness to her, and then later, by keeping secrets from her, by pushing her support away and then, worst of all, by bringing the Frost Giants to Asgard, which had resulted in her being severely injured. 

And now this. This effort to keep her from being hurt by him again was still hurting her. 

“Why does she love me?” he asked himself, not for the first time. He knew that, in her youth, she had had a childish crush on him; but how had that developed into the deep, devoted and undying love that she felt for him now, after all he had put her through in their marriage?

Even as he was searching for the answer, the door opened and he glanced in the direction of it. To his relief, it was Georgiana. He quickly got to his feet. She was beaming all over her face about something as he stepped towards her and pulled her into a fierce, but at the same time surprisingly gentle kiss. 

“Well, hello to you too!” Georgiana laughed, clinging to him, sketchbook in hand. 

He had said it before and he still believed it was true. He didn’t deserve her. Still, he returned her smile. “What? Am I not allowed to be pleased to see my own wife?”

Beaming, Georgiana kissed him again, taking great care not to hit him with her sketchbook as she flung her arms about him in her passion. Realizing that she was holding it, Loki frowned. “Georgiana, are you planning to sketch the prison?”

She laughed, softly. “No. I’ve got something to show you. I went for a checkup in the medical unit earlier.” 

Taking the sketchbook in both hands, she flicked through until she found the right page and held it up for him to see. Loki, realizing what he was seeing, took it from her hands as gently as if it were their child itself. He said nothing but Georgiana could tell what he was thinking from the expression on his face. She smiled and waited. Finally, he met her eyes. 

“Amazing.” He smiled and she once again felt her heart swell with love for him. How could anyone see darkness in him where there was none? Loki stepped closer to her. “Really amazing.”

Grinning, Georgiana hugged him. Loki wrapped an arm around her, still looking over the sketch. Their child. It hadn’t actually sunk in before; what being a parent would mean. Like everything else they had encountered in life, he knew, they would simply muddle through it together. But he would be better to her from now on, better for her. She was everything he needed. Now he had to be everything she needed; the husband she deserved. 

“Georgiana?”

“Mm?”

He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Things will be better from now on. I promise.”

Georgiana glanced up at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m not going to let you get hurt anymore.”

“Oh, Loki, not another plan!” Before he could respond, she seized him desperately and looked into his eyes. “Promise me you won’t do anything like that ever again! I don’t want you to! Just to protect me!”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Your concern really is touching.”

“Loki!”

With a smile, he uncurled her hands from their grip. “That’s now what I meant.” She searched his eyes desperately and he met her gaze. “Promise.”

She finally relaxed her grip. “Then what did you mean?”

Loki pulled her against him, holding her tightly, winding his fingers through her hair. “You’ve been hurt by me too often, and I hate myself for it. But it’s going to stop. I will try to be the man you deserve.”

Georgiana sighed, relieved by his words. “I know you think I need protecting, especially now. But-”

“Georgiana.”

“No, listen.” She drew back to look up at him. “Just be the man I want. The man I love.”

Loki looked at her. He had been wrong about her. When he had met her, that day after six years of not seeing her, he had assumed that she was naive, and easily led astray, and a part of him had still thought that she was, even long after he had won her love. But now he could see that he had been wrong. She wasn’t naive, and she wasn’t blinded by love. 

She was much stronger than that. 

He smiled. “I forgot to tell you before, but I’m proud of you.” He laid a hand on her stomach, feeling another rush of pride as their child kicked suddenly, almost as if it were feeling left out of the conversation. Georgiana pressed her hand over his and looked up to return his smile. 

“I’m proud of me too,” she whispered, and then, leaning up to kiss him, she added “And you.”


	24. ...And Other Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

As she began to near her time, Georgiana felt a sudden wave of panic. When she was a child, she had imagined being grown up and married and having a family, even though she hadn’t known back then what starting a family would actually involve. And when she had married Loki, she hadn’t actually imagined that they would ever have children; mainly because a part of her had never thought of Loki being the paternal kind. Now it had happened, and she was carrying their child, yes, she was ecstatic and even more so knowing that Loki was proud of her for it and pleased that they would have a child together. 

But suddenly she realised just how alone she was in doing it. With Loki not around her, constantly, to be with her, and now she was drifting from Odin and Frigga and even Thor for the sake of their child, she felt as if she’d been abandoned to do it by herself. She couldn’t even turn to her mother because that would mean the whole Loki-being-imprisoned bit would come out, and that would not only be scandalous – once it was all around Althrop that the youngest son of the Allfather had caused crimes on Earth and been imprisoned in the highest security cell Asgard had to offer, everyone would talk, not that she minded them talking about her, but she certainly didn’t want her husband’s name dragged through the mud – but it also wouldn’t sit well with her mother. 

She almost hear her mother’s voice, even now, as she sat at her dressing table, contemplating possibly writing a letter to her – she hadn’t even told her mother that she was pregnant; in fact, since Loki’s declaration of love for her, she hadn’t had any contact with any of her family at all – she could hear those shocked tones in response to what her daughter told her.

“Imprisoned? Oh, Georgiana, I should have known all along that it wasn’t a good match, but of course I was too polite to say in front of the Allfather! We must demand the marriage be annulled at once!”

Annulled? Georgiana wouldn’t hear of such a thing! If anyone wanted to tear her away from Loki, then they would have to murder her first! That she was adamant about!

Tapping her pen against the side of the dresser, Georgiana considered briefly writing to Charles; pouring out her woes on paper to him and asking his advice. After all, they were friends. Then she decided against it. His last letter to her had stated that he was now quite comfortably married to Mary Elizabeth Ponsonby, daughter of Baron Ponsonby, a woman that Georgiana had met several times before in her youth. Mary was rather highly strung, and also rather jealous – especially when it came to men. Well, perhaps jealous wasn’t quite the right word, but certainly paranoid; if she caught another woman even looking at a man she liked, she was prone to fits of distress, and often sickness. Perhaps writing to Charles wasn’t the best idea, because then he would want to come around and comfort her and then that could stir up quite a hornet’s nest with his wife, especially if she found out that Charles had once had feelings for her. Georgiana was certain that his love for her had dissipated with this new marriage, or at least was dissipating now he had someone else to please, but it wasn’t worth the risk, she decided. 

Laying down her pen, she sighed and leaned back in her seat. Her back was aching again and she longed for Loki to be there to rub it for her. More than that, she longed for him to be constantly with her once again. Would there be no end to this? Surely they couldn’t go on like this forever? So far she was taking it one day at a time but now she was looking to the future, and not just their future, but the future of their unborn child. 

She pushed herself, unsteadily, to her feet. “I am not going to miss this,” she murmured, laying a hand on her stomach, feeling the baby kick again. She smiled. “Oh, I know it’s not your fault, but it isn’t really all that fun, what with the sickness and the backache and the cravings and the dehydration; speaking of which,” she added, absently, reaching for her pitcher of water, “and needing help getting up all the time...” 

She flopped onto the bed and then realised that, once again, she would have difficulty in getting up. She let out another sigh. “I miss your father,” she murmured, her hand drifting to her stomach again. “And I think I’m the only one who does. Odin might say he’s sorry it’s had to happen, but I can’t believe that for a second. Maybe Frigga does, a little...no, she misses the man she thought he was. So does Thor. I’m the only one to miss the man he really is.” She fell silent for a moment, thinking hard. “I’m the only one who really sees him. He isn’t dark, like they say, not really. He’s just...misunderstood, and it’s only when someone really takes the time to understand him that they see the real him.”

Suddenly it occurred to her that she wasn’t alone in all this at all. There was someone she could talk to, even if it was someone who couldn’t understand what she was talking about. A smile crept across her face as she pushed herself slowly upright. 

“Now, listen,” she said to the child, “I know that it’s all going to be strange when you find out that your mother and father don’t live side by side anymore, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t love each other. And we are going to love you so much. So much. Both of us.”

She managed to stagger to her feet and then made her way downstairs, a sudden desire to be with Loki filling her. Now, she was very close to her time, although the medic hadn’t given her a specific due date, and she supposed that there were always the possibilities of going into labour earlier or later than whenever that date was, but she wasn’t worried. According to that last scan, the child was perfectly fine, and so was she, which was a relief, she supposed, for first time pregnancy. So, feeling optimistic, she stepped off the last step and made her way down the corridor.

The one regret she had about any of it was that Loki wouldn’t be there. In Althrop there was this silly idea that a wife, or indeed any pregnant woman, married or not, should go into labour in a room with only their physician, a nurse or two and various women – mother, sisters, friends and so on – present. Georgiana couldn’t get her head around that. Surely the father should be in the room too; to see his child being born? Thankfully Asgard people had no such ideas; it was down to the woman giving birth to choose who she wanted around her at the time, provided at least one of them was a qualified medic, or else someone who knew what they were doing when it came to delivering a child. So, had circumstances been different, she would have had Loki beside her when the time came. Actually, she reflected, she wanted it to be just Loki and the medic, and possibly a nurse if it was required, but absolutely no one else. 

Dear, it looked like she’d be on her own then...

Georgiana found her train of thought broken all of a sudden by several things. A sudden surge of pain broke through her body in several places, in her back, between her legs, and then she felt a sudden trickle of water break free, uncontrollably as she stopped in the middle of the corridor. 

“Oh!” 

Suddenly being stabbed with an Ice Bolt was almost preferable, and as she gasped again with the sudden pain, Georgiana realised what must be happening to her. Taking a few steps backwards to lean against the wall for support, her suspicions were confirmed by the trail of straw coloured liquid she seemed to have left on the floor. Another contraction broke through her and she looked around, desperately, for someone to help her. No one was in sight. 

She had to get to the medical unit, now. Though as she took a few steps forwards, her feet felt unsteady and her legs weak and sudden panic rose up in her again. ‘No,’ she thought desperately, ‘wait! Wait until I get to the medical unit, just a few more minutes, please.’

Neither her body nor their child seemed to want to listen to her, however, and as she took a breather against a pillar, for a second, she thought that she wasn’t going to make it. Closing her eyes tightly, she tried to calm herself, focus on something other than the pain she was in. Loki swam to mind and she tried to push forwards, thinking about him...and then another contraction hit her like a wave of ice. 

“Georgiana, are you alright?”

She opened her eyes and almost cried with relief at the sight of Fandral. He was looking at her with a rather odd expression on his face. She staggered towards him and he quickly supported her before she could fall. “Fandral! I have never been so pleased to see anyone in my life! I think the baby’s coming! Now!”

Fandral’s eyes widened. “Ok, um, well; we’d better get you to the medical unit then.”

Georgiana glanced over his shoulder and saw Sif walking along beside Thor, both in deep conversation. Fandral looked over at them and called out “Hey! A little help, here? Please?”

Sif blanched and then rushed up to Georgiana, who suddenly felt awful for ever snapping at her. For all her faults, she sensed that Sif had a good heart underneath her warrior’s armour. “Georgiana, what-?”

“I think I’m going into labour!” Georgiana cried. 

Sif quickly took over supporting her from Fandral. “Tell the medics,” she told him, before turning to Thor. “We’ve got to get her there quickly.”

Thor nodded as Fandral hurried past him towards the medical unit. “Georgiana, I’ll have to carry you.”

She acquiesced with a nod and then another gasp of pain. Thor quickly swept her up and all but ran to the medical unit with Sif bringing up the rear. What passed next was a blur, although Georgiana was dimly aware of some hurried talking, mainly Sif shouting for someone to help them, and then the calm voice of the medic as she was helped into a sitting position. Then the contractions started up again, and she was roused back into focus as Frigga suddenly came hurrying into the room. 

“Georgiana, are you alright?” she asked, her voice patient but with a slight tinge of worry. 

Georgiana took a deep breath as another contraction hit her. “I’m guessing this is normal?” she managed, with a weak smile. 

Frigga laid a hand on her forehead. The medic quickly handed her a damp cloth. “If you wouldn’t mind, Your Majesty? And the rest of you, please, give us some privacy.”

Sif, Thor and Fandral nodded and left the room promptly. Amid Frigga’s tender administrations, Georgiana flickered her gaze to the door and saw that, as usual, Odin had followed his wife into the room. 

Fear and panic welled in her. “No!” she exclaimed, turning to face him. “No! You’re not taking our child!”

The medic, obviously not knowing the real story behind her distress, but sensing that Odin must be the cause of it, turned to address the Allfather politely. “Your Majesty,” he said, tactfully, “I wonder whether it mightn’t be better if only your wife stays. That is, er...”

Odin bowed his head. “Understandable,” he replied, and he left the room. 

Georgiana took a few deep breaths, wondering if this pain would ever go away. Unknown to her, she wasn’t the only one going through it. Miles away from her, in his cell, Loki was aware of her pain again, and now her pain was his. Now he was the one panicking, for her, praying that she was just in labour and that it was nothing more serious. And there was the added pain of not being with her to comfort her in her pain, which hurt more than the pain her pain was causing them both. 

“I think this is it,” the medic said, finally. He had been carefully timing her contractions and now he nodded his head. “Yes.”

Frigga smiled, kindly, at Georgiana, and squeezed her hand. “It’s going to be alright,” she whispered, soothingly. 

Georgiana met her gaze. “Frigga, I’m scared,” she confessed. 

“It will be alright,” Frigga insisted. 

Georgiana found herself wondering afterwards whether Frigga had actually given birth in her life, because the next few moments were agony to her. Mostly all she was aware of was the pain as her body screamed out for release and relief...and then she was aware of a soft crying that wasn’t hers. 

“Well done,” Frigga whispered, finally, kissing her temple proudly. 

“It’s a boy,” the medic declared as the nurses fussed around to wrap and clean him up. 

“Narvi,” Georgiana breathed, the name she had decided upon, with input from Loki. The one thing she had been adamant about was that their child, as a born Asgardian, would have an Asgardian name. She leaned against Frigga. “Is he-?”

“Perfectly healthy,” the medic declared. “Healthy weight, healthy size, fingers and toes all correct.” He smiled at her. “And certainly nothing wrong with his lungs.”

Georgiana managed a smile. She felt sore in places, but it was a duller, lesser pain now, a bit like the first time she and Loki had made love, and she felt weak and tired. Sudden strength flowed into her arms, however, as the nurse holding the baby stepped towards her and she felt the bundle placed into her arms. Narvi had been crying, but on being passed to his mother he stopped, seeming to sense where he was and looked quietly up at her with a wide eyed expression of confusion. 

“It’s alright,” Georgiana whispered, her voice barely audible even in the silence of the room. “Mama’s here.”

She kissed the top of his small head, softly. Frigga, beaming, stroked the small fine faint strands of dark hair gently with two fingers. “Your mother will be so proud, Georgiana,” she said.

Georgiana hadn’t the heart to tell her that she hadn’t told her mother about her pregnancy yet. “I think my father would have been too,” she said, softly, “were he still here.” She smiled down at Narvi, who seemed to have grown bored of looking at his mother and grandmother and had decided to take in the surroundings of the medical centre. “We’re going to take such good care of you,” she told him, softly. 

Frigga glanced in the direction of the doorway. “You know...Odin’s proud too...”

Georgiana looked, sharply, up at her. “That’s as may be,” she replied, stiffly.

“Georgiana, sometimes when Odin gets a little heated-”

“A little heated? You call making threats to take Narvi away from us “getting a little heated?”

“Loki can provoke him, sometimes. They can provoke each other without even meaning to,” Frigga began.

“Frigga, I don’t care whether those words were just said in temper or not. The point is that they were said, and I don’t want that man anywhere near our son.” She looked away from her. “I’m sorry, Frigga, but my mind’s made up.”

Frigga nodded, and it was a nod of defeat. “I understand.”

Georgiana glanced to the medic, who had been listening without really meaning to. “How soon can I get up?”

“Ah, not for a while yet,” he answered. “You need quite a bit of rest, and some peace and quiet,” he added. “Perhaps you and the rest could visit her after she’s rested, Majesty?” he added to Frigga. 

She smiled. “Of course. I’ll see you later, Georgiana, and Narvi.”

Georgiana glanced after her. “Frigga, could you thank Sif? And Thor, and Fandral for me? I know I haven’t exactly been getting along with them all recently, especially Sif, but I really am grateful for their help.”

Frigga nodded, kindly. “Try and get some rest,” she advised, before sweeping from the room. 

Georgiana eventually allowed the medics to take Narvi, once he was asleep, and place him in a small cot beside her bed before she allowed herself to drift off to sleep. She would see Loki, she decided; they both would, when they both woke up. 

While all this was going on, Loki, for his part, was pacing the cell in anxiety. Georgiana’s agony seemed to have stopped, for now, although he had no idea what was going on. Once again, he found himself hoping that it might just be labour and nothing else. As far as he knew there were no attacks on Asgard, so he didn’t have to worry about some hostile element from one of the Nine Realms hurting her. Even so, she hadn’t come to him yet and he was worried about her. 

She’s strong, he reminded himself. She’ll be alright, whatever the trouble is. At least, he hoped that she would be. 

Presently he was aware of someone approaching the cell. He turned in time to see Odin striding towards him. This time he had decided against actually entering the cell out of fear that Loki would attack him for the threat made on his previous visit. Just seeing him brought a surge of anger to Loki, although he did his best to quash it. No doubt Odin had come to inform him of what had happened to his wife. 

For a few seconds, they faced each other, like opponents in battle, neither saying anything. Finally, Odin broke the silence with a deep breath.

“I know what you must be thinking-” he began.

“I’m thinking that my wife was in a lot of agony just now and that I ought to be with her,” Loki cut across him, bitterly. 

“And whose fault is it you aren’t?” Odin challenged. “Anyway, she went into labour.”

“So soon?”

“Yes. But they’re both fine; her and the child.”

Loki allowed his words to sink in, not giving Odin any indication of just how relieved he was to hear him confirm that Georgiana was alright. And their child...their child. The child that she had carried for nine months was finally born, finally in this world. He gave a small nod and looked away from Odin. Just as Odin turned, however, to walk away, Loki couldn’t help asking “Boy or girl?”

“A boy,” Odin replied. “Narvi, she calls him.”

Loki managed a small smile then. Was it his imagination or had there been a slight strain in Odin’s voice when he had confirmed this? Was he worried that the son of Loki would mean an heir to the Throne of Asgard?

Some time after Odin left, he turned and sank down on the bed, thinking it all over in his head. Georgiana was alright. She was alive, he corrected himself, that was all that mattered. And now she had borne him a son. A son. Their son; whom he would meet once she had recovered from her labour.

In that moment, Loki, son of Laufey, Prince of Frost Giants, was the proudest he had ever been in his entire life.


	25. Doing What's Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Odin was pacing the room when Frigga returned to him. “Well done,” she sighed, stepping over to him. “Loki was right. Georgiana’s terrified out of her mind at the prospect of her son being snatched from her when she’s not looking.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” To be perfectly honest, Odin knew that he had spoken the words in haste and he was beginning to regret them, though it was too late to take them back and they all knew it. 

“I know, but that’s what she’s afraid of,” Frigga replied, tentatively. 

Odin stopped pacing and turned to her. “Perhaps if I just spoke to her-”

He was cut off by his wife shaking her head sadly at him. “She won’t let you. I’m sorry, but you didn’t see the state she was in. I think if you came near her, she’d start screaming.”

He sighed and hung his head. “I’m a fool.”

“Yes,” Frigga agreed. 

He looked up at her and half-smiled. “So...he’s..?”

“He’s adorable,” Frigga smiled. “He’s got a few dark hairs, but I think he’ll look more like Georgiana.” A thought struck her. “Will he have Loki’s magic?”

“More than likely,” Odin replied. “Let’s just hope his mother can teach him to use it for good.”

***

Georgiana was woken by a small, soft whimpering that tore at her heartstrings and caused her to jump awake at once in a sudden panic. Narvi! 

The nurse beside her chuckled. “It’s alright, my lady. I think someone’s ready for a feed, that’s all.”

Georgiana breathed a sigh of relief. “For a second there, I thought-”

“He was in trouble?” The nurse smiled as Georgiana pushed herself up into a sitting position. “You’re not the first.”

Georgiana held out her arms as Narvi was handed back to her. His eyes were now squeezed tightly shut and he wriggled slightly as the nurse helped her sort herself out, but he quietened once he found what he was after. Georgiana smiled in relief; she had heard that sometimes newborns didn’t always want to feed straight away and some had difficulty with it, but no, Narvi was quite happily suckling away, which felt strange but alos, in a strange way, wonderful and she relaxed, still reeling in his existence. 

The nurse quickly busied herself with tidying the sheets and fluffing the pillow. “So, how are you feeling now you’ve rested?”

Georgiana considered. “Still a little sore, but refreshed.”

“No pain anywhere else?”

“No.”

“It looks like you’ve kept yourself pretty healthy throughout your pregnancy,” the nurse said, matter-of-factly. “Whatever you’ve been doing, I’d advise you to keep it up.” 

Georgiana smiled at her. “I just can’t quite believe it, you know?”

“Parenthood?” The nurse smiled. “Congratulations, by the way. I’m sure...you husband will be very proud.”

Georgiana looked down at Narvi. “Yes, I think he will be.” Narvi finished his feed and turned his head away with a small yawn that reminded her somewhat of a kitten, especially as he stretched his arms out a little and then snuggled down back to sleep. Georgiana glanced at the nurse as she helped tidy her back up again. “How soon can I get up?”

“Do you feel ready to move?”

Georgiana stretched out her legs. “They still feel a little shaky,” she confessed. 

“Maybe a few moments more.” The nurse glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Anyway, it looks like you’ve a visitor.”

Georgiana frowned and then turned her head. To her surprise, she saw Sif approaching her. “Hey,” she managed in surprise. 

“How are you feeling?” Sif sounded genuinely concerned, so Georgiana offered her a reassuring smile. 

“I’m alright now,” she replied. “Really. Anyway, he was worth all the pain.”

Sif stepped closer and looked down at the child, asleep in his mother’s arms. Her face broke into a smile. “You know, I never thought I’d find myself feeling maternal, but aw!” She glanced at Georgiana, for permission, and when it was granted with a nod, she softly stroked Narvi’s forehead. “He’s gorgeous,” Sif went on. 

Georgiana looked at her. There was no trace of surprise in Sif’s voice when she said that. She had thought there might be, like Sif would be scoffing that any child of Loki’s, or indeed the child of any Frost Giant, could be beautiful. But no. She was talking as a friend. Georgiana felt another pang of guilt for being so sharp with her during Loki’s rampage on Earth. 

She took a deep breath. “Sif, thank you for being there when I was going into labour. I thought for an awful moment there I’d end up giving birth in the corridor.”

Sif smiled at her. “Hey, you needed help. Anyone else would have done the same thing.”

Georgiana returned her smile. “Thank Thor for me too, will you?”

“You can thank Thor yourself,” Thor replied, striding into the room. 

Sif rolled her eyes. “Voice down. He’s asleep.”

Thor raised his eyebrows. “You can shout as loud as the rest of them when the mood takes you, Sif.” He glanced down at Narvi and his face broke into a smile. “Congratulations.”

Georgiana beamed at him as she glanced down at her son again. “I just can’t get over it. Nine long months...and now...”

Sif straightened up. “Loki...he knew, right?”

Thor glanced at her and she shrugged. 

Georgiana looked up at them. “I wouldn’t hide anything like this from him,” she replied, good-naturedly. “He was the first one I told.”

Thor voiced then what they were both wondering. “And...how did he take it?”

“He was very proud,” Georgiana replied. She couldn’t help feeling a little smug then. Thor, Sif, Odin, even Frigga, they might think they knew Loki well, but they had barely scratched his outer layer. How could he not be proud that the woman he loved was going to bear their child? What reaction had they been expecting? Anger? Distress? Panic? No. How could Loki be anything but proud? 

Sif managed a smile. “Glad to hear it.” Then, quickly she added, “I’d hate to see how you’d react to becoming a father, Thor.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Thor grinned. 

“You’d probably scream and run from the room.”

“When have you known me to scream? Don’t answer that,” he added as Sif held up her hand ready to count all the times. 

Georgiana leaned back against the pillow, wanting this conversation to end. Much as she didn’t mind them being here, all she really wanted in this moment was to be with Loki. She gave them a slightly sleepy look. “Much as I’d love to keep talking, I’m still a bit tired.”

“Of course.” Sif nodded. “We’ll let you rest.”

Georgiana watched them leave, wondering what they must be thinking about Loki. She knew that Sif were trying her best to heal the rift that had developed between them over the last few months, but she felt that it couldn’t go back to the way it was before. Not knowing that Sif didn’t trust Loki, and that she, like Odin, saw this supposed darkness that Loki was meant to have within him, no. They couldn’t be friends properly again. There would always be distance between them. But, she thought, wouldn’t it be the same if their positions were reversed? Wouldn’t Sif, devoted as she was to Thor as Georgiana was to Loki, reject Georgiana as a friend if Georgiana told her that Thor was a villain? Of course she would. It was the way love worked. Only the one who loved, truly loved, could see the person their lover truly was. 

She truly believed that. 

Leaning back on her pillow, she felt her eyes drift shut again, but not to sleep, just to think. In any fantasy where she had pictured starting a family with her husband, it hadn’t been like this. In her mind, her husband – whoever he had been, his face had always been blurred in her visions – would be standing alongside her as they watched their children, however many they had, run and play outside in the grass on a sun-filled day. They would walk along behind them, hand in hand, or arm in arm, and then when the rain began they would all run, laughing, back into their home – that too was always blurred in her mind. Why was reality now being so cruel? She couldn’t hate Loki for what he had done – she understood that he felt the need to keep her safe from him – but she hated the fact that it had happened. Though, she also supposed, she hadn’t even thought about the prospect of parenthood once she had married him – it just hadn’t occurred to her, especially with all that had happened between them in that short time, all the other issues they had had to cope with; and he probably hadn’t either. 

“You are so loved,” she whispered, looking down at Narvi, still fast asleep against her chest. “We love you so much. And you don’t need to worry about a thing. Even though it might not seem like a normal arrangement – to keep seeing your Papa in a separate room, to not have him constantly here – we can work it out.”

She brushed his forehead with a kiss and then swung her legs over the side of the bed. She felt stronger now; even the thought of Loki brought new strength to her spirit, and as she finally clambered off the bed, carefully adjusting her hold on Narvi to ease herself comfortably onto the floor without dropping him, her legs felt far steadier than they had a few moments ago. 

The nurse, who had drifted out of the room during Thor and Sif’s brief visit, had drifted back into the room by now and she came quickly up to Georgiana. “My lady, are you certain that you feel up to this?”

“Yes,” Georgiana replied, confidently. She cradled Narvi close. “I’m feeling a lot stronger now. Loki deserves to know that; and to see his son.” 

***

Loki hadn’t moved from the position he was in, apart from to briefly flick his hand in the direction of the window and trigger a smokescreen when a couple of the other prisoners started jeering at him. All sorts of thoughts were flickering through his mind, mainly to do with the prospect of fatherhood. What did that actually mean? His entire life he was certain that he hadn’t received a proper one; the giant who had sired him had seemed dismissive, even disgusted, at his very existence and the man who had raised him had always made him feel like the outsider; the unwanted, unloved child. So, in essence, what did he really know about it? What kind of father would he be to his own son? He stifled a laugh. His son. He still couldn’t quite believe it. 

When she had confessed her pregnancy to him, his initial thought had been, what? Shock? No, surprise. It wasn’t something he had ever considered; that their passionate lovemaking, any of it, would lead to them having a child. It wasn’t something he had considered at any time in his life at all, not even when he had married her. And then all he had been able to feel, which had been even more surprising to him, was pride and to some extent happiness at the notion of becoming a father. 

But what kind of childhood would their son have, with a father only present occasionally in his life? More than that, what would he think of his father for it? In that second, for the first time since his imprisonment, Loki hated himself for what he must be putting Georgiana and their son through. 

And then the image of Georgiana swam into his mind and this time he allowed himself to smile. Georgiana, his beautiful, kind, loving Georgiana, the woman who stood beside him through everything. His true love. Like everything else they had been through so far, they could surely muddle through this. Together. 

His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and he looked up to see her step into the room. He got quickly to his feet, barely registering the bundle she was holding, hurried up to her and kissed her. 

“You’re alright,” he murmured, as she looked up at him with bright eyes. “I was worried...”

He drifted off, letting the sentence hang there. Georgiana smiled. “I’m fine,” she said, softly. “I mean, it was painful, but...” She looked down at their son. “He was worth it.”

Loki followed her eyes downwards and then, as Georgiana moved her arms, he moved his, automatically, to hold the precious bundle she handed to him. Narvi looked up at him with wide eyes, but there was understanding there – no, more than understanding, it was recognition. It was a look that said, quite clearly, “I know you. You’re my father.”

He would be clever. Loki could feel it. And the magic would pour from him. But as long as he shared some of his mother’s better traits, it would be alright. 

“Let’s hope he looks like you,” he teased. Georgiana laughed, softly and he met her gaze. All his nervousness, all his doubt, had all faded away in that moment. He could do this. They could do it. Of course they could; how could he have ever thought otherwise? He smiled. “He’s perfect.”

She beamed at him. “I know.”

“You did a good job,” Loki went on, looking over their son again. Every detail was perfect, more so than he could have ever imagined. 

Georgiana stepped up to him. “We did a good job,” she corrected him, gently, and then she wrapped her arms around both of them. Loki closed his eyes, revelling in the feel of her. She was right. For a second, they stood, wrapped together like that, and then as she pulled back, he kissed her again. “I love you,” he whispered, meaning it more than he ever had before in his life. 

She smiled. “I love you too,” she whispered, and then, as their son stretched slightly, squirming, trying to get more comfortable, she stroked his hair. “And you. We both do, very much.”

Loki fixed her with a serious look. “Georgiana, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you both to sleep down here.” For a start, it probably wasn’t the most hygienic place for a newborn, even if the cell was kept clean. Plus, all the noise would probably keep him awake, and that would keep her awake, and it wouldn’t be good for either of them if Georgiana was tired all the time. Added to that, their son could learn all sorts of awful things, profanities and that, at a young age and that would not be advisable. “You’re going to have to go back to our room.” 

He handed Narvi back to her. Georgiana blinked at him. In her heart of hearts she knew that he was right but her stubbornness forced her to at least try and argue. “Loki, I can’t. Not without you.”

“You’re going to have to try,” Loki insisted, firmly, placing his hands on her arms. “Besides,” he added with a small smirk, “you won’t be alone now.” 

Georgiana almost laughed as she held their son close. “It won’t be the same though,” she murmured. 

All Loki could think of to do was the one thing he wanted to do, and that was to pull her into his arms, carefully so as not to hurt Narvi in the process, and hold her close. No, it wouldn’t be the same, but it was what was best. And right now, he had to think about what was best. 

For her.


	26. Where We Belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Georgiana did her best to sleep that night, but it was still very difficult without Loki beside her. She tossed and turned, pummelled the pillows several times and even tried reading to help her drift off, but it was no good. Each time she did manage to snatch a few moments rest, her dreams were plagued with darkness and shadows, and the fear of being alone, lost and trapped with no chance of rescue or escape. 

Finally, after waking for what must have been the thirteenth time that night, she could take no more. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she leaned back against the headboard and ran her hands tiredly through her hair, wincing as she accidently snagged tangles thrown up by her restless night. Shaking it all out, she sighed, heavily and wrapped her arms around her knees. It shouldn’t be so difficult to sleep, especially now she was back in their room, which was much quieter than the cell, but even so, without Loki beside her, the bed felt so empty and cold. 

Like a tomb, she reflected, mournfully. 

A sudden soft whimpering made her start, and then, remembering that she wasn’t alone in the room, she immediately tossed the sheets to one side, swung her legs over the side of the bed and got to her feet, hurried softly to the side of the cradle. The medic’s words about their son having “nothing wrong with his lungs” suddenly drifted back to her and she couldn’t help smiling at that. 

“What is it, my darling?” she cooed, reaching down to pick Narvi up. “Hush now,” she murmured, settling him against her and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Mama’s here.”

Narvi continued to fuss and it occurred to her that he probably wanted another feed. She quickly sat back on the bed, and, after comfying herself against the pillow and headboard in an upright position, she began to sort out the feeding routine. Navi hushed at once as he found what he wanted and she exhaled in relief. From all the books she had read, and the amount of people she had met in Althrop who were first time mothers, she knew that sometimes infants just cried and you could never find out what they wanted. 

That’s probably why so many of them start to talk early, she reflected; so that they can actually tell their parents “Mama, I’m hungry,” or “Papa, I’m scared,” or whatever. 

She closed her eyes, trying to think what her own Mama would say, were she here. It would probably be something along the lines of “Now, Georgiana, there’s no need to worry. You’re going to be just fine. When a baby cries, you need to check whether it needs feeding or changing or if it doesn’t need either, then perhaps it’s a good idea to pass it onto the nurse and let them deal with whatever the problem is; after all they have the experience.”

She shook her head. The one thing she would never do was let someone else raise her own child. Of course, she would allow help – Frigga had assigned the nurse who had cared for her during the birth to help her take care of Narvi and Georgiana was grateful, for it was a very exhausting job, being a mother and she trusted that woman – but that was all, help. Georgiana had been completely adamant that the nurse should stick to daytime duties only and that Narvi should sleep in the room with her rather than in a separate nursery – “If he cries at night, then I will see to him,” she had insisted. 

Part of this was the need for independence, to show that she could be a mother alone – well, not completely alone, of course, for Loki would always stand by her spiritually if not physically – and part of it was because she was still afraid of Odin’s threat. Of course, she was sure that if he did do anything to their child that it wouldn’t only be her and Loki who would kill to save him – she was certain that Frigga, and perhaps even Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three too (after all, they were all believers in justice) would have something to say about it. And, of course, Loki had reassured her that the protection spell he had placed on both of them during her pregnancy was impenetrable and impervious to any form of magic or power, Odin’s included. 

But all the same, she worried. How could she not? She hadn’t spoken to Odin since Narvi was born and if she ever saw him coming towards her, or into a room she had just entered, she always made a point of walking the other way, or leaving that room, as quickly as she could without speaking to him. Such was her refusal to have anything more to do with the Allfather, in spite of him being adopted Grandfather to her son, that she had even decided to start taking her meals in her room rather than risk being in the dining hall at the same time as him. 

It worried Frigga and Thor, of course, but there was nothing that either of them could do to persuade her that Odin hadn’t meant anything by his threats. Whether he had meant anything or not was irrelevant, Georgiana pointed out; the fact was that such threats had been made and she wanted nothing more to do with a man who would make such threats about a child, and her own child at that. 

Opening her eyes, Georgiana glanced down to see that Narvi had finished his feed and was snuggling down to sleep, his eyes drifting shut peacefully in an almost bored fashion. Georgiana smiled, suddenly reminded of Loki; it was the way he looked when he was bored. She found herself wondering what colour eyes her son would have; though they were blue now, they would change, but would they be soft brown like her own, or would they be that wickedly green colour of his father’s? It was interesting, she thought, and she pondered who he would probably look the most like when he was older. Though he already had a few strands of Loki’s dark hair, he had teased her that he hoped their son would look more like her. 

A sudden thought struck her; would he have inherited Loki’s magic? Probably, a voice inside told her, and then she smiled, thinking that they would be quite a magical family. It could be rather funny; Narvi knowing more about magic than his mother, who would still have to be taught by his father – they would both run rings around her with their illusions. 

And then her smile faded as her consciousness reminded her that it probably wouldn’t be like that, with Loki imprisoned. 

“Never doubt you are loved, Narvi,” she murmured, brushing her lips to his forehead again. Narvi moved slightly in his sleep, and she wondered if he were having one of those dreams about falling. Settling herself into a half-reclining position, she felt her own eyes drift shut, and when she did eventually sleep, she dreamed of being with Loki. 

***

If “restlessness” could be used to describe Georgiana’s state of mind whilst trying to sleep alone in her own, then the term “bordering on the edge of insanity” seemed quite fitting for Loki that night. Though he lived for seeing Georgiana when she visited him, it did make the nights somewhat difficult without her. It was almost like, and he knew this wasn’t the case because his Georgiana would never be so cruel, she was taunting him with her presence, without even meaning to, because the aching gap that she left behind each time she left him was impossible to fill.

How, Loki questioned himself, could a man imprisoned feel so near to his wife and yet at the same time be so far apart from her? At any rate, her absence from his everyday routine was beginning to take its toll on him. He was aching for her, and nothing but her presence could relieve that ache. Since she had become pregnant they hadn’t made love at all; it had just been something that neither of them had thought about amid all the excitement of preparing for their son’s birth. But it was more than an ache for that. It was a longing for them to go back to the way things had been before; back when they had been husband and wife together, not apart like this. 

The one thing Loki regretted was not having made her feel more loved back then. Even though he hadn’t known it during the first few weeks of their marriage, that he had been in love with her, he ought to have made her believe it at least. If there was any way of rewriting those first days of their marriage, then he would have gladly spent every second of the day telling her that he loved her. 

And did he even tell her enough now that she knew?

If love was like a drug, then it was what he needed, to satisfy him in this state of mind – no! Not love, but Georgiana; purely Georgiana. 

Eventually the ache was too much to bear and by morning, when Frigga sensed his distress and sent an illusion of herself to visit him, she found everything in the cell overturned, bar the bed, and her youngest son curled up in a ball trying to stem the ache that was in his heart. Frigga’s heart softened at once, reminded of the way he used to curl up like that when upset or emotionally distressed back when he was a child. 

“Loki, what’s wrong?” she asked. 

“I need her.” The words came out thick, trembling and ragged. For a second, Frigga wondered if he was crying, and then she pushed that thought away. No. Loki had desisted showing such weaknesses in front of her and Odin a long time ago.

“Georgiana?” 

“Who else?” 

Frigga drew herself up to her full height, in a dignified move. She was, after all, used to both of her sons being sharp with her – what family didn’t argue from time to time, after all? However Loki’s words did cut into her, especially in light of the last thing he had said for her, the words she could never forget. (“Then I am not your mother?” “You are not.”) They burned deeper than any fire in the blood. 

“You were the one who sent her away,” she reminded him, lightly. 

“That doesn’t mean I don’t want her beside me all the time,” Loki spat, bitterly, resisting the urge to shout at her. Oh yes, a part of him still did love this woman who had raised him as a mother figure, but sometimes she could be unbelievably stupid. 

Frigga was silent and when Loki finally dared look up he found himself alone in the cell. 

***

Georgiana awoke feeling somewhat refreshed after finally being able to sleep, but any thoughts of relaxing in bed were quickly dashed by a sharp knock at the door, which startled Narvi and set him off crying. 

“Come in,” Georgiana called, quickly rocking him to soothe him, and as he quietened, the nurse came into the room. 

“Morning, my lady,” she smiled. “Did you sleep well?”

“Somewhat,” Georgiana agreed, returning her smile and she got up from the bed. 

“Here, allow me,” the nurse said, taking Narvi from her hands. She was an expert, Georgiana noted, and she must be good with children because Narvi showed no signs of distress at being removed from his mother’s arms by a woman he barely knew. “I’ll watch him if you want to go about your toilet, my lady.”

“Thank you, Nurse-?”

“Nesta, my lady.”

“Thank you, Nesta,” Georgiana replied, stroking her son’s hair before slipping into the bathroom to relieve herself and bathe, all the while listening out for any signs of crying. However she heard none, and when she came back into the bedroom, wrapped in a towel, Nesta had changed Narvi and was lightly rocking him in the cradle with an expert hand. Relieved, Georgiana set about getting dressed and then quickly called to a passing servant that she would be breakfasting in her room today, so could they please send up a tray, thank you? 

Frigga came swiftly into the room just as she was finishing breakfast, looking a little hassled. Georgiana frowned up at her. “Frigga? What’s wrong?”

Frigga nodded at Nesta, who dropped a curtsey and went back to attending Narvi, before turning sit beside her daughter-in-law. “It’s Loki.”

Georgiana sprang to her feet, almost overturning her chair in the process. “What is it? Is something wrong?” 

Frigga glanced at Nesta, who quickly bowed her head and left the room, before turning back to Georgiana. “Nothing’s wrong, love,” she reassured her, squeezing her hand. “It’s just...well, for want of a better expression, he’s missing you. So much.”

Georgiana understood. “I miss him too. Last night was the first night sleeping without him in months and...” She sighed. “I don’t know if it’s anything like what you must feel when Odin goes into the Odinsleep, but it aches, being away from him like this.”

“I think that’s what he feels too.” Frigga offered her a sympathetic look. “He needs you, Georgiana. Just you.”

“But I can’t leave Narvi.” 

“Nest and I will take care of him,” Frigga promised. 

Georgiana looked into her eyes and felt a rush of trust. Without another word, she all but ran from the room, past a very surprised Nesta, who called after her “My lady?” But Georgiana didn’t stop for anything as she hurried down to the cell, the guards outside springing apart like curtains as she passed, until she was in the room, with Loki. He felt her presence before he even looked up. Their eyes locked and then, without a word, they both rushed at each other and clung to one another, kissing in a fierce, desperate passion not unlike the second time they had made love, that time that had felt like the first time for both of them. The jeers of Loki’s fellow prisoners were quickly drowned out by a quick whip of hand and a smoke screen as their kisses became deeper and more urgent, and then the need to possess one another became too burning a desire to ignore any longer. Their clothes hit the floor in a blur and as Loki picked her up in his arms, Georgiana pressed close to him with every fibre of her being, feeling that they could so easily melt together, be one flesh, one body, in that single moment of passion. 

Their love-making was vigorous and fulfilling and left them both breathless; it was at least ten minutes before either of them could find the energy to talk, but it was what they had both needed, and wanted. Georgiana closed her eyes as Loki pulled her close, nuzzling her hair. For a second she forgot everything that had happened recently; giving birth, becoming pregnant, Loki wreaking all that havoc on Earth and being incarcerated – all she could think about was being where she was, in Loki’s arms, where she belonged. He was her sanctuary, the one she would always run to no matter what, the one who made her feel like she was the only woman in the whole of the Nine Realms, and who made her feel so loved it ached to be parted from him. 

“I’ve missed this,” Loki murmured, running his hands along her back. 

She knew what he meant; not the making love, but the forgetting the world and just revelling in it being just the two of them. They hadn’t done that in ages. “So have I,” she murmured back, smiling as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Sometimes I wish we could go back to the way things were before all this.” She gestured, though half-heartedly, with one arm, about the room. The other prisoners were quiet now, although it would probably only be a matter of time before they started up again; one would start the mad screaming and then be punished and then the screamings would be torture. “Or rather, that we’d had more time...back then.”

Loki felt a stab of guilt and he sighed. “So do I, believe it or not.”

She pressed closer to him, brushing her fingers across his chest. “On the other hand, I didn’t know you loved me back then....”

She broke off and Loki sensed that there was more. “What?” he prompted. 

She shook her head. “No, nothing.”

“Tell me,” he insisted, gently. 

Georgiana glanced up at him and gave in. “Please don’t think badly of me for it, but...”

“What?”

“I wasn’t sure...back then...if you were capable of it.” Loki was silent a moment as he took this in. Georgiana blushed and shook her head. “I’m so sorry; I don’t mean-”

Loki silenced her with a kiss that took her by surprise but which was, in no way, undesired. “Georgiana,” he murmured, placing a hand on her cheek, causing her eyes to meet his, “I never thought I’d ever be capable of loving anybody, least of all a woman from Althrop I’d almost been forced into marrying.” Georgiana dropped her eyes, trying to conceal a smile. “But every day I’ve spent with you ever since has been the best of my life.”

Georgiana met his gaze again, almost beaming at him by this time. “Every single one?”

“Every single one,” Loki promised. “I told you before, remember? I’m not sorry I married you.”

Georgiana did beam at him then. “Neither am I.”

Loki pulled her close again, kissing her and then quickly flipping her over onto her back. Georgiana giggled. This really was like it had used to be, before everything that had happened since had happened. “Do we have time for this?” she teased, pressing her body close to his.

“We have all the time in the world,” Loki replied, kissing her again. Arching her back, Georgiana wrapped her arms about him and allowed her eyes to flutter shut. A part of her had worried, after Loki’s imprisonment, that they might lose this, the closeness they had developed throughout the course of their marriage; that his being imprisoned would separate them, perhaps not for good, but as far as these feelings of youthful passion were concerned. But nothing had changed. How could it? 

So, whilst the cells of Asgard were still quiet and calm, the adopted son of Odin and Frigga and his one true love consummated their feelings for one another once again, all the while blissfully unaware that, some million miles away from them, the imminent conversion of the Nine Realms had caused portals linking the worlds at random to appear, and that one young woman, a certain Jane Foster, had been teleported to a world containing the deadliest weapon known to anyone in the whole of the Nine Realms, the Aether.

And its power was in her veins already.


	27. The Heart's Cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (The name of this chapter is taken from one of my favourite songs in Riverdance; and to be honest I think the title suits a chapter where love and death are involved!)

“He’s toying with her,” Odin said, flatly. 

The Allfather was in something of a starched mood as it was today. Though peace was in the Nine Realms, he was unnerved by Thor feeling the need to go and make sure that Midgardian woman he had set his heart on, Jane Foster, was alright and Odin just knew that he was going to end up bringing her back to Asgard – and she had no more right to be there than a goat at a banquet, in his view. Now his wife had started talking of their other son and brought forth the ridiculous notion that he may have genuinely fallen for Georgiana after all. 

It was ridiculous in Odin’s mind, and surely in the mind of anyone else who knew Loki as well as he did. He could hardly believe that Frigga could think such a thing. Loki was a trickster, it was well known, and Odin was certain that, especially given the nature of most Frost Giants, he could have no love in his heart to give to his wife. 

“I don’t think he is,” Frigga replied, steadily. “You didn’t see him, Odin. He was a wreck without her.”

Odin shot her a sideways glance. “I can believe he may have got closer to her over the last few months but I doubt he genuinely cares for her. He needs someone he can manipulate, someone he can use.” He sighed, waving away whatever Frigga was about to object with a wave of his hand. “I should never have suggested this match. It was a mistake right from the beginning.”

“A mistake?” Frigga repeated, bristling. “To bring together two young people, perfectly suited to one another, and to have them fall in love?”

“Oh, I know that Georgiana loves him deeply. It’s plain for any man to see. After all, that’s partly the reason why she’s distanced herself as far from me as possible. But I can’t believe that Loki returns her feelings. He just needs someone to be devoted to him, someone to follow him to the ends of the Nine Realms, to be on his side.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” Frigga countered, calmly. “You are completely wrong, Odin. Loki may not have loved her when they first married but he does now, truly. You should have seen him when the Frost Giants invaded. Anyone could see that his first thought was for Georgiana alone. You didn’t hear him cry out when she was wounded, or see the expression on his face when he carried her to the medical unit. It was as if her being hurt physically wrenched his heart out of his chest.” She leaned forwards in her seat as Odin paced the chamber, taking her words in. “He told me himself that she means more to him than the whole of the Nine Realms.”

Odin glanced at his wife. “And you believed him?”

“I believed what I saw, not what he said. It was all there in his eyes.” Frigga got to her feet, crossed over to her husband and laid a hand on his cheek so that he was looking at her. “He wasn’t lying, Odin.”

Odin moved stubbornly out of her grip. “I’ll believe it when I hear it for myself.”

Frigga sighed. “Look, even if he didn’t love her, this is between him and Georgiana. What would you do? Force their marriage to be annulled and have Georgiana sent back to Asgard?”

“No, of course not,” Odin all but snapped, turning to face her. She gave him a look and then he softened. “We both know she wouldn’t go even if I did.”

“Of course she wouldn’t. This is her home now. And if she knew that we were talking like this about her and Loki-”

“Alright, point made.” Odin held up his hands in surrender. “This is their business, not ours. But I do worry about her, Frigga.”

“I do too,” Frigga confessed. “But she’s stronger than we think.”

Odin sighed and then turned towards the door. “Even so, I can’t honestly believe what you’re telling me. I’m sorry, but Frost Giants cannot change.”

“Not even Frost Giants raised in Asgard?” Frigga asked. 

Odin stiffened, visibly, and she could see him pondering his answer. “I used to hope...once...but now I find myself resolved to thinking I was wrong, back then. They never change.”

Frigga watched him go, with a heavy heart, and sighed after him. “But Loki has always been different,” she murmured, biting her lip, before turning to a tentative servant who had come up with a problem that needed urgent attention. 

Odin made his way towards the prison cells in a marching stride. All servants who passed moved to one side, as if sensing the storm brewing in his region and worried that they may yet be on the receiving end of it. After all, many of them had seen Odin in a temper before and all feared him, even though they also respected him. It was what made him such a powerful ruler; stern and often temperamental, but with a gentleness that cancelled out any malice and earned the respect and devotion of his subjects. 

The only person not to sense the storm brewing at first was Loki, sitting, as he was, up beside the wide window pane of the cell, casually flicking through the nearest book, though his heart was not really in the reading and his mind was, as usual, on Georgiana. Being reassured that the passion he had once shared with her prior to his incarceration was still intact now helped with being so far away from her most of the time; it reminded him that the distance would never cancel out their love. Eventually, however, he sensed that he was being observed and looked up to see Odin standing the other side of the window. 

Closing the book with a snap, Loki met his gaze. “And what have I done now?”

“You tell me,” Odin replied, his gaze dark. 

Loki put on a look of mock pondering. “Hm, let me see. What have I done lately; apart from read and make love to my wife?” He shook his head. “No, sorry, I’m afraid I can’t think of anything.”

“You play with her as you play with everyone else,” Odin stated. 

Loki laughed. “Forgive me, but I think you’ll find that I have never done any of the things I do with Georgiana with anyone else, and wouldn’t want to either!”

“Do you enjoy playing with her emotions?” Odin countered, his tone slightly harsh.

“What? The Allfather has come to scold me for my actions towards Georgiana?”

“She deserves none of what you have ever done to her.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Loki scrabbled to his feet and faced Odin. “Every moment spent thinking about all I’ve put her through is agony!”

“She is devoted to you-”

“As I am to her!”

“Are you? Or do you just enjoy having her on your side because you know she’d do anything for you? Is that why-?”

“I love her!” Loki snapped. 

The effect was remarkable. Odin actually flinched, almost bending over backwards, quite literally bowled over by both the words and the expression in Loki’s eyes as he said it. Loki stepped closer to the window, feeling his heart racing. “I love her so much it hurts. Do you have any idea what that’s like? To know that in a single second you would give up your life so that the person you love can see another day? It’s just unfortunate that she had to fall in love with me; the last person in the whole of the Nine Realms that she deserves to love her.”

Odin straightened himself and Loki could see that he was still reeling from the confession. He smirked. "Not quite what you were hoping for, was it? For Loki to fall in love with the woman who's meant to, what was the word you used, "discipline" him? I know that everyone thinks that Frost Giants are incapable of such emotions, but I think that even Laufey would have lost his heart to Georgiana. I imagine everyone else in Asgard already has."

Odin said nothing. Loki waited, wondering how long it would be before something was said. Time seemed to stand still as both men looked at one another in silence. Eventually, however, it was broken by neither of them but by a servant, who came hurrying up to them and said, urgently, “Allfather, your son has returned.”

Odin pulled himself together, nodded and swept away without another word. Loki smirked after him before settling back into his spot and opening the book again, all the while counting down the seconds until Georgiana would be back in his arms again.

***

Georgiana stood on the balcony, dreamily looking over the grounds with Narvi in her arms. He wasn’t asleep but he wasn’t crying either. Instead he was watching the expressions on her face, trying to work out, as those of his age often do in such matters, what they meant. Georgiana smiled down at him as she arranged his blanket with one hand, the other of course tucked under him as she held him in the crook of her arm. 

“This is your home, Narvi,” she smiled, brushing his nose lightly with one finger. This, of course, provoked a chuckle from the child and brought an even broader smile to his mother’s face. She tried to imagine him in his older years, a mixture of her and Loki in spirit, and with magic. She was sure he would look more like Loki, although his eyes might just be the same rich brown as hers, she thought, hopefully. 

“Georgiana!”

She turned and smiled as Thor came towards her. With him was a pretty young woman she didn’t recognise, dressed in Asgardian clothing, and looking all around her in awe. 

“Thor, you’re back,” she greeted him, warmly. After all, she had no bitter feelings towards him. He had proved to be something of a boon in her challenge with motherhood, and often turned up just to see Narvi. He was a good uncle, she decided to herself, and if anything ever happened to her or Loki, she knew that she could trust him to take care of their son. Then, turning to the young woman beside him, she nodded with a small smile of acknowledgment. “And you must be Jane, am I right?”

“Uh, yes, you are,” Jane replied, sounding a little stunned that this woman she didn’t know somehow knew who she was. 

“Jane, I’d like you to meet Georgiana, my sister-in-law,” Thor said.

Georgiana held out her free arm to Jane. “Loki’s wife. And this is our son, Narvi.”

“Oh!” Jane looked surprised as she returned the handshake, and then, gazing down at the child, smiled in adoration. “He’s adorable.”

“I think he looks more like his father than me,” Georgiana smiled, before turning to Thor. “Of course, he’s been missing his favourite uncle.”

Thor laughed. “Have you even told your family yet?”

She sighed. “I’m working on it; by which I mean preparing myself to write the letter and each time chickening out.”

“You should do it.” Thor touched her arm. “They should know.”

Georgiana smiled at him. “I know.” Then, as Narvi began to fuss, she added “Oh, looks like someone’s hungry. If you’d both excuse me,” and then, to Jane, “It was nice to finally meet you.”

“And you,” Jane replied, and then as Georgiana left, she turned to Thor with a frown. “I didn’t know your brother was married.”

“It was arranged,” Thor replied. “But now I’m fairly certain that Loki cares about her more than he lets on.”

***

The Dark Elves attacked without warning. From his cell, Loki watched as they stormed through the palace, clearly seeking the Aether that was in Jane Foster’s veins. He had heard the rumours spreading around that Thor’s woman possessed that power, and, like so many Asgardians, he knew that the Dark Elves would do anything to take back the power they craved so much. 

He suddenly found himself face to face with a Kursed, one of the enhanced warriors of the Dark Elf race, once thought to have been long since wiped out. The cold eyes stared at him, intently, and then Loki spoke. 

“You might want to take the stairs to the left.”

If the Dark Elves wanted to wreak havoc in Asgard, well, he wouldn’t stand in their way even if he could. Anything to get under Odin’s skin. But even as he convinced himself of this, his mind fell on Georgiana. She knew nothing of this yet and, strong as she was, she was no warrior. And there was their son to think of. 

Mustering up his magic, Loki sought her out, projecting the image of himself to where she was, in their room, thankfully alone as she fussed over their son in his crib. For a second he lost himself in watching the tender scene; his wife, their child, and then, remembering the danger at hand, quickly pulled himself together and spoke to her. 

“Georgiana?”

She started and whipped about to face him, frowning. “Loki? How-?”

He held up a hand to stop her as she came towards him. “I’m just an illusion. Georgiana, you need to listen to me. The Dark Elves are attacking.”

“What?”

“You need to take Narvi and go. Just get out of here, to safety. Get back to Althrop, I don’t care just get somewhere safe, now!”

Catching the urgency in his tone, Georgiana decided against arguing as she scooped their still sleeping son into her arms. Turning she asked “Well, what about you?”

“The Dark Elves aren’t interested in prisoners. I’ll be fine. Just go, now!”

She hurried towards the door and, flinging it open, turned to him for the final time. “I love you,” she whispered, and then she was gone.

Loki breathed out, knowing now there was nothing to do but wait for news that she was, that they both were, alright. “I love you too,” he murmured, letting the illusion fade. 

***

Georgiana was halfway along the corridor when she heard the scuffle of battle coming towards her. Thinking quickly she called up one of Loki’s invisibility spells, shielding herself and Narvi from sight and ducked into Frigga’s chambers. There, Frigga and Jane were standing together, Frigga with a sword in her hand and Jane looking nervous. Before Georgiana could say anything, however, the door burst open and the Dark Elf Malekith stalked into the room. 

“Stand down, creature,” Frigga said, bravely addressing Malekith, “and you may yet survive this.”

“I have survived worse, woman,” Malekith snarled.

“Who are you?” Frigga demanded and Georgiana had to admire her bravery. 

“I am Malekith,” the Dark Elf replied, turning to Jane, “and I would have what is mine.” 

Their swords met in a frantic dual and Georgiana tried desperately to think of a way she could help that wouldn’t result in her giving herself away. When the Kursed Warrior arrived and managed to overpower Frigga, it looked like all hope was lost. 

“You have taken something, child,” Malekith said to Jane. “Give it back.” 

And then Georgiana bit back a laugh of joy as Malekith stabbed Jane and she faded, revealed to have been nothing but one of Frigga’s illusions. With a snarl of rage, Malekith wheeled to face Frigga. “Witch! Where is the Aether?”

Frigga smirked, bravely. “I’ll never tell you.”

“I believe you,” Malekith returned, simply, and with that the Kursed Warrior stabbed her. Georgiana couldn’t stifle the scream that escaped her as Frigga fell, mortally wounded, to the floor.

“There’s someone else!” Malekith whipped around. “Show yourself!”

Thinking quickly, Georgiana managed to conjure an illusion of herself, sans Navi, behind the door and, as predicted, it was the first place the Dark Elves looked. The illusion of Georgiana backed off, looking terrified; it was so strange to Georgiana, seeing herself in one place and being somewhere else entirely. 

“Kill her,” Malekith demanded and the Kursed made to do so, stabbing and shattering the illusion. Then, with every ounce of anger at their having hurt Frigga pouring through her, Georgiana sent a forcefield at them that knocked them both off their feet.

“Pathetic!” she couldn’t help exclaiming, in what she hoped was a manner worthy of Loki, as Asgardian warriors poured into the room to battle their attackers. Visible again, she fell down beside Frigga. “Someone get help!” she cried, and then, to Frigga, “Frigga, it’s alright, stay with me...”

Frigga’s breath came in rasping pants as she reached out her hand and Georgiana clasped it, firmly and lovingly. “Take care of everyone, Georgiana. Please...take care...of my sons.”

And as she slipped away, Georgiana felt as if a part of her had been murdered too.

***

The battle was over. The Dark Elves were gone from Asgard. But they had left a terrible trail of ruthless destruction behind them, and more than one person felt Frigga’s loss. After having entrusted Narvi to Nesta’s care once more, Georgiana hurried down to the cell where she knew Loki would need her now more than ever. Her suspicions were confirmed as she tumbled into the room and found everything, once more, turned over by his magic. 

“Loki...” she trembled. “She...there was nothing I could do...”

Loki was shaking, though whether it was in anger or sorrow, or a mix of both, she had no idea. “I just can’t believe the last words I spoke to her were said in bitterness.”

Georgiana hurried up and flung her arms about him. “She knew you didn’t mean it, Loki. She always knew.” Her own voice was thick as she tried to hold back a sob and she buried her head in his shoulder.

“Did she suffer?” 

“It all happened so fast. I don’t think she even felt it.”

They were silent a moment, both reflecting on what was lost, and then Georgiana finally sobbed “I’m so sorry.”

Loki buried his head in the confines of her hair, finally allowing grief to give way to tears for the first time since he couldn’t remember when. 

***

Georgiana looked up as Thor came into the room. She was alone, with Narvi, having finally left Loki in the cell, knowing that their son needed her but promising faithfully to be back with him soon. Nesta had left at her insistence and she was surprised to see Thor. She got to her feet. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“We need to get Jane out of Asgard,” Thor replied. She could tell that he had previously been crying for the loss of his mother but now his voice was as brave as it always was. “That way Malekith can draw the Aether out of her and I can defeat him. Can I rely on your discretion?”

Georgiana understood. “Odin would rather we stay here and fight?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

She nodded. “For Frigga, and for everyone else’s sake, you have my discretion, Thor. If Odin asks after you or her, I’ll make every excuse I can for you.”

“Thank you,” Thor smiled.

“But how do you plan to do it?”

“There is a way to the Dark World, known to only one person in the whole of Asgard,” Thor replied. “We’ll take her there.”

Georgiana smiled. “With Heimdall’s help?”

Thor returned her smile. “Not...him.”

“Then, who?” she frowned.

His smile broadened. “You’re going to like this.”


	28. One Trick More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Loki listened to Thor’s deal with only a half-hearted interest. Yes, vengeance on those who had sent their mother to Valhalla prematurely was a truly delicious offer, but it was the thought of actually being set free from the cell that appealed to him more. This incarceration had proved fruitless, it seemed, as far as keeping Georgiana safe was concerned. There would always be danger, and now he knew that he would rather be there by her side to protect her from them then wile away in a cell until some idiot brought him news that she had been killed and all because he hadn’t been there to stop it.

He knew, from the incident with the Frost Giants, that would never be able to bear the pain of losing her, and as such, in light of what had happened to Frigga, he knew that he would stop at nothing to be by her side again.

“You must be truly desperate to come to me for help,” he observed, finally. “What makes you think you can trust me?”

“I don't. Mother did.” Thor’s eyes told the truth, although the rest of his face showed a slight glimmer of amusement at knowing Loki’s (supposed) weakness. Loki was about to correct him when he added “And Georgiana still does.” Oh, yes, he had gone there. He knew the real weakness. “You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me, and I will kill you.”

“Hm.” With a slight chuckle, Loki considered the proposal. It could easily work to their advantage, providing that he could convince Thor that, in the end, there was goodness in him after all, a goodness that Georgiana believed in; the goodness that she brought out of him. Of course, he reminded himself, there would be very limited time to warn her of what would come to pass. It would hurt her, and that would hurt him, but then, he reflected, she could take out her anger on him for deceiving her as much as she liked when he told her the truth. And then, well, then, endless possibilities for the both of them, and their son.

So, making his decision, he uttered the four words that Thor had known would come.

“When do we start?”

***

Georgiana leaned against the cool marble pillar where she had decided to remain quietly until she could be certain of a private moment between herself and her husband. Narvi, once again, was in Nesta’s care. The woman had expressed a grief over the death of Frigga that matched Georgiana’s own grief but eventually her tears had subsided and she had pulled herself together enough to nurse her charge.

She thought back to Frigga’s last words. “Take care of everyone, Georgiana. Please...take care...of my sons.” She smiled, slightly, to herself. To the end, Frigga still considered Loki her own child, as if she had borne him herself, and that served to make Georgiana feel even closer to her. After all, they both loved Loki so very much; both willing to lay down their life for him. But what, she wondered, would she do now without Frigga. Her relationship with Odin was broken, her relationship with Sif and the Warriors Three still tense in spite of their assistance during her labour, and although she felt close to Thor, well, it wasn’t quite the same as being able to talk to Frigga and to listen to her patient tones and maternal, loving nature. In truth, she had, during the year she had spent so far in Asgard, closer to Frigga than she ever had to her own mother.

So, what else could she do but obey her dying wish? To make sure that everyone, in Asgard as well as in the Royal Family, was taken care of; to, not replace Frigga, but to ensure that her spirit lived on through her, to take on the maternal role in the palace and make sure that all were met with the love and guidance they needed. After all, she thought, blinking back tears, she was still Princess of Asgard, even if her husband were imprisoned with no chance of ever rising to the throne whatsoever. If he had not been incarcerated, she reminded herself, and if he had risen to the role of King of Asgard, then she would have become his Queen; and it was the duty of the Queen to rule with kindness, patience and care. Now that role, it seemed, in a strange twist, fell to the Princess of Asgard who would probably never rise to be Queen, and she swore to herself that she would do her best to carry out her newfound duties.

Just when she was beginning to wonder whether Odin would ever accept Jane as Thor’s lover – he was somewhat bitter over her being the reason that he had lost his wife in the first place – and whether she would then become Queen of Asgard, she sensed Loki’s presence and turned her eyes to the scene. From where they stood, she was well hidden; not that any of them even knew that she was there. Thor had explained the plan to her, and she had agreed not only to keep silent in Odin’s presence but also to cover their tracks wherever necessary.

“None of it will come back to you, Georgiana,” he had reassured her. The last thing he wanted was Georgiana, whom he had come to love as a sister, to be in trouble with the Allfather. He knew that Loki would never forgive him if Georgiana found herself, and their son, banished for aiding in such a task that Odin deemed “foolish and unnecessary” – in fact he would probably take some kind of revenge on him for it – but, more than that, well, Thor knew that Georgiana didn’t deserve such a fate and he for one didn’t want to see her torn from the man she loved. “If Odin does find out, I’ll tell him I forced you to lie for us.”

“You don’t have to do that, Thor,” Georgiana had started to say, but he had cut across her.

“Yes, I do, and,” he had added with a mischievousness worthy of Loki, “if you don’t let me, then there could be trouble for you.”

She had laughed then and given in.

Now, watching from behind her pillar, Georgiana twitched slightly as Sif suddenly whipped out her sword and held it to Loki’s throat. Loki for his part, however, didn’t look scared or agitated, just amused.

“Betray him and I’ll kill you,” Sif warned.

Loki simply raised an eyebrow at her. “It’s good to see you too, Sif.”

Georgiana bit back a laugh as she couldn’t help thinking that was so like her husband to come out with a remark like that, and then, as Sif lowered her sword – the enchanted one, Georgiana noted – Jane stepped boldly forwards and slapped Loki across the face. Georgiana flinched as her hand made contact and it took all her self control not to jump in and slap Jane back for it.

“That was for New York,” Jane told him.

Loki almost laughed. Was that the best she could do? It was barely little more than a tap; it didn’t even sting, not like when Georgiana had slapped him that time, almost knocking him off his feet. Still, he did his best not to show that her blow, though delivered in anger, hadn’t hurt him in the slightest.

“I like her,” he grinned at Thor.

‘Not too much, I hope,’ Georgiana muttered in her mind, making sure to hold her tongue. Once Sif and Volstagg were gone, she waited a moment, watching Thor, Jane and Loki turn in the direction of the ship they were going to use to get to where the Dark Elves lay in wait, plotting how to get hold of the Aether. Then, silently drawing in her breath, she stepped quietly from her place and, keeping her eyes fixed on Loki, began to walk towards him.

Halfway to the ship, Loki stopped, sensing her presence. Placing his hands casually behind his back, he waited until Thor and Jane were a little further away from him before he said, without turning around, “I know you saw that.”

With a frown, both Thor and Jane turned to him and then realised who he was talking to. Georgiana closed her eyes in a show of mock irritation, and then, stepping up until she was just inches from him, said in a slightly cooled tone “Were you going to leave me without saying goodbye?”

Loki grinned. “Would I?”

Turning, he pulled her close and kissed her, pouring as much emotion and love into the embrace as possible. Georgiana returned it with the same passion, clinging to him and willing all the powers in the heavens to bring him back to her.

“Be safe,” she whispered, and it almost killed Loki, knowing what she would be like if she heard that something bad had happened to him. He just prayed that it wouldn’t kill her. Her eyes searched his and he offered her the reassurance that he knew she was seeking.

“I’ll try,” he answered in a tone as soft as hers before he kissed her again. Both of them were very aware of Thor and Jane watching them, but, in that second, neither of them cared what they were thinking. Jane tilted her head, slightly, to one side, trying to work out how someone who had all but ravaged Earth, killed some people and left others either terrified or gibbering wrecks with his powers could suddenly be rendered so gentle and caring by one woman. Thor, for his part, waited in patient silence until the pair broke apart and then cleared his throat. “We’ll be back, Georgiana,” he promised her as she glanced at him over Loki’s shoulder, and then indicated that it was time for them to leave.

Georgiana nodded, showing him her trust and faith, and then she allowed her hands to linger in Loki’s until she had no choice but to let him go. It tore her heart to watch him undertake such a dangerous journey, but still a sense of pride crept through, knowing that he was doing this to help Thor; to save Jane from the Aether and to hopefully bring the end of the Dark Elves with it.

As the ship rose into the air, she ran to the entrance and leaned in the doorway, watching until it was just a small black shape on the horizon and she saw it no more.

“Be safe, my love,” she whispered, a single tear spilling down her cheek.

***

Staring down into the area of Svartalfheim that was to be their battlefield with Malekith and his Elves, Loki recalled Georgiana’s words. “Be safe.” Oh, how he had longed to tell her not to worry, that he would definitely return to her alive and unharmed, but there was no possible way of doing that in Thor’s hearing without arousing his suspicions. Though, for the first time, he suddenly felt a twinge of doubt. No, this had to work. It was the only way; the only way to return to her side.

Even so...

“What?”

Loki had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed Thor’s presence beside him. With no trace of sarcasm or malice in his tone, he replied, calmly, “Just thinking about Georgiana. I should have told her-” Thor glanced at him. Loki sighed. “Well...you know,” he admitted, finally.

Thor swivelled his eyes to the horizon. “I’m sure she already knows,” he replied, although his tone was flat.

Loki shot him a glance. “What? You don’t believe a monster capable of such feelings?”

“You enjoy tricking people into thinking they’re seeing one thing when they’re really seeing another,” Thor stated. “Why should any of us believe that’s not what you’re doing with Georgiana?”

“Perhaps because I’ve got no reason to trick her into believing anything,” Loki stated.

Before Thor could respond, however, the battle was upon them. Malekith and his Dark Elves were easily tricked into drawing the Aether from Jane when Loki, as per his plan, played his part of the traitorous brother to perfection, claiming to a stunned Thor that he had never cared about Frigga or any of them, before tossing Jane to the ground; and then joining Thor in attacking when Malekith had his guard down.

“See you in Hel, monster!” Loki snapped to the Kursed as he finally took it down. However the Kursed had managed to inflict a fatal enough wound on him in the process and now Loki collapsed as Malekith deserted the scene in his ship, now with the Aether. Thor fell down on his knees beside him, finally believing that Loki had been on his side all along.

“I’m a fool,” Loki muttered, clutching the wound, reminded of Georgiana when she had been hurt like this. The sudden thought of being back with her, holding her close in his arms, kissing her, relaxed him. If there were really such things as angels in the Nine Realms, then surely by all the heavens she was one.

“Stay with me,” Thor begged, and Loki almost laughed at hearing him beg something so pathetic. “Stay with me!” He could sense it was useless, however. Jane, watching the scene, said nothing, for her face spoke for her. Seeing Thor aching over losing his brother caused a few tears of her own to fall free. “I will tell Father you died with honour,” Thor said, finally, accepting Loki’s fate.

Loki shook his head. “I didn’t do it for him. But there’s something else you can do for me.”

“Anything,” Thor stated.

With what strength he had left, Loki fixed him with a serious look. “Tell Georgiana I love her. That I have **always** loved her.”

And Thor was left, cradling the still life form of his brother, as Jane looked on in pity and despair.

***

Georgiana took a deep breath as she stepped into the room. Odin had been in her on his own for some time, and even though she had tried hard not to care, part of her felt a twinge of worry for him. So, she stepped up to him. His back was to her, his head bowed, as he looked down on his wife. Frigga looked so peaceful, almost as if sleeping, and Georgiana bit back to lump that was forming in her throat as she followed his gaze.

“Odin, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, finally.

“She died protecting the human girl,” Odin replied, not taking his eyes away from Frigga.

“She died protecting the woman Thor loves,” Georgiana corrected him, gently. “She died loving so many people.” She glanced down at Frigga and then, almost unconscious of the motion, she broke a flower off from the vase-full that had been placed in the room and tucked it gently under Frigga’s cool hand. The brief nod and closing of the eyes motion that Odin made at this told her that he appreciated the gesture. Georgiana bit her lip. “I just hope that I can be as brave as she was in the end, for the rest of my life.”

“She always saw you as a daughter,” Odin returned, not unkindly. “She said once that if she had had a daughter, she would have wanted her to be exactly like you.”

“I am honoured,” Georgiana replied, trying not to cry, “and I loved her like a mother, perhaps even more so than I love my own mother.”

Odin finally turned to look at her. “Georgiana...so many things have passed between us...many in temper; my temper...and I know I’ve hurt and terrified you, but...she wouldn’t want this. She wouldn’t want this rift between us.”

Georgiana nodded. It was true. Frigga had always tried to be the peacemaker between them; she had been trying to bring them together since Narvi was born, but she had never succeeded. Until now. She touched his hand. “Perhaps, then, for her sake, we should forgive and forget. It’s what she would have wanted.”

Odin managed a trembling smile and squeezed her hand in return. They stood in silence a moment, looking down at the woman they had both loved so much, until a sudden knock at the door roused them both. “Come,” Odin commanded, gently, and the Lieutenant of the Einherjar stepped into the room. Georgiana felt her breath catch in her throat, wondering if he had news of Thor and Lok’s mission.

“Well?” Odin questioned.

The Lieutenant bowed his head. “There’s no sign of Thor, or the Aether. However, we found a body...”

With regretful eyes he looked at Georgiana, who took a moment to realise what he was talking about until Odin finally confirmed it.

“Loki...”

The Lieutenant bowed his head again in confirmation.

Georgiana felt her heart begin to race as her breath hitched once again. “No!” she exclaimed, her voice breaking on a breathless sob as she fell to her knees, willing what she had just been told not to be real. It had to be some terrible nightmare or cruel trick that was being played out before her. They couldn’t really be telling her that Loki was dead. It had to be a mistake. The tears began to pour from her as she looked up at the Lieutenant, begging him silently to tell her the truth, that Loki couldn’t be dead, he just couldn’t be.

“I’m so sorry, my lady,” he said, with real regret in his tone.

“No!” she cried again, her voice striking a higher note as hysteria overtook her again. For a second she couldn’t breathe, it was like the walls were closing in around her and then everything seemed to collapse as she curled into herself and began to sob. Loki couldn’t be gone from her. He just couldn’t be. Her Loki; her charming trickster; her devious prince; her husband and lover; her friend.

Odin crouched beside her and she felt her hand on his shoulder. “Georgiana,” and his breath was ragged, like he too was fighting back tears, “if there was any way...to bring him back...you know I would...”

She shook her head, wildly. “He can’t be gone. Not now. Not when I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.”

***

As dawn broke over the sky, she lay on her back on top of the covers, her tears long dried on her face. She had cried all night, she had prayed too, willing whatever powers there were to bring him back to her. But no one had answered.

Rolling over onto her side, without thinking, Georgiana found herself facing Loki’s pillow and the side of the bed he always occupied. He would never do so again. Fresh tears started as she took this in. There would be no more of it. Never again would he hold her, kiss her, make love to her, never again would he tease her, laugh with her or tell her that he loved her. How was this fair? They had been married a year. They had only just discovered the depth of their feelings for one another, and now he had been snatched away from her by the cruellest of fates.

“I need you,” she whispered, laying her hand on the empty space beside her. “All my life I’ll need you.”

The sound of another crying roused her and she sat up. Narvi was awake and wanting a feed. She bit back another flow of tears as she realised that he would never know his father. Loki would never see his son grow up, with magic and intelligence in him. She took him in her arms, soothing him, trying to stay strong as she set about making sure he was fed and content. She had never known Loki as an infant but she imagined that Narvi must be the spit of him, apart from his eyes, which were now, as she had hoped, her own rich brown colour.

Just as she was settling him back into the cradle, there was a soft tap at the door. Wiping her eyes and adjusting her crumpled dress, she straightened herself. “Come in.”

The door opened and Thor stepped into the room. His sorrow and regret were written on his face. “Georgiana...” He hung his head, suddenly looking far from the big-headed heir to the Asgard Throne she had once mistaken him for but now more like a humble serf. “There was nothing I could do...the Kursed...”

“Thor, I don’t blame you,” Georgiana reassured him. “I blame his murderers. You weren’t to know.”

“He died with honour,” Thor began.

Georgiana looked at her feet. “I understand that such a thing is noble, Thor, especially in his case, but that’s not really much consolation now.”

“No, of course not.” Thor paused. “His last thoughts were of you.”

Georgiana jerked her head up, meeting his look. “What-what did he say?”

“He told me to tell you that he loved you. That he had always loved you.”

Georgiana felt her spirits lift slightly. “Always?”

Thor nodded. “I just hope that I can live with the same amount of honour that he died with.”

“What will you do now?” she asked.

“I’m not going to rule Asgard.”

“Thor! But it’s your birthright!”

He smiled. “I’m afraid I’ve found something better to live for.”

Georgiana nodded. Of course. His love for Jane was too strong to deny. Thor turned to leave, but she had one more thing to ask of him. “Did you love him?”

Thor turned back to her. “Loki?” She nodded. Thor took a deep breath. “I did once. And then when he turned on Earth, I felt that the brother I knew was gone and so had my love for him. But when he lay there, in my arms, confessing his love for you and admitting his own foolishness, yes. Yes, I did still love him.”

Georgiana stepped up to him, and then, to Thor’s surprise, she hugged him. “Thank you, Thor,” she whispered. “Thank you for loving him when it was needed.”

Thor patted her back. “The same to you, Georgiana. I’m sorry this has to be goodbye.”

“Surely not forever?” Breaking away, she put her head on one side. “Narvi’s going to miss his favourite uncle.”

Thor chuckled. “I suppose I can still visit; if the Allfather allows it.” He kissed her forehead in a brotherly manner. “Goodbye, Georgiana.”

“Good luck, Thor,” she answered, and then, watching him leave, she sank to the floor, suddenly realising just how alone in Asgard she was.


	29. All For Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Odin sat on the throne of Asgard, listening to Thor as he revealed the detailed nature of Malekith’s defeat and Loki’s sacrifice. Thor had been genuinely touched in the knowledge that, at the end of the day, his brother had truly been on their side and as such he had been inspired to leave Asgard and be with Jane rather than take his place as rightful heir to the throne. It would be hard for Odin to hear, he knew, but Thor felt that he had a good argument. If it were at all possible to come back and see Georgiana, he would do so, for he knew that she needed someone from time to time and he was a closer connection to Loki than Odin, whom, after all, couldn’t go on forever, especially now that their mother was dead.

“You know, with his last breath, he confessed he had feelings for Georgiana,” he finished.

Odin nodded. “I had heard it said. Though, of course, I assumed he didn’t mean it. How could I believe that such a man could ever love anyone?”

“It’s the truth,” Thor replied. “I’ve seen it for myself. She’s always first in his thoughts.”

Odin was silent a moment before contemplating “One son who doesn’t want the throne, another who wanted it too much. Is this to be my legacy?”

“Loki died with honour,” Thor said. “I shall try to live the same. Let **that** be your legacy.”

Odin nodded. “I cannot give you my blessing, nor can I wish you good luck. Even if I could, it could only come from my heart.” He gestured towards the door. “Go.” Thor stepped forwards, the hand holding his hammer outstretched. “It is yours, if you are worthy enough to wield it.”

“I shall try to be.” Thor nodded, solemnly. “Thank you.”

“No,” Loki smirked the second his brother had left the room. “Thank **you**.” With Thor giving up all claim to the throne, well, it looked like Asgard was there for the taking. But first he had to go and put his wife out of her misery.

He just hoped that she wouldn’t be too hysterical about it.

***

Georgiana felt like she had dehydrated with the amount of tears she had shed for her husband. Every second without him felt like an hour and it physically ached knowing that she would never see him again. Her only comfort was in mothering Narvi. He was a welcome distraction from her misery. She had promised herself faithfully that when he was old enough to start asking questions about his father, she would tell him the truth; that he was a great man who had loved them both and that he had died with honour.

As she was finally settling him down to sleep, a sudden knock at the door caused them both to start and Narvi began to whimper in distress. “Shh, darling, it’s alright,” Georgiana soothed, softly, before turning to the door, wondering who in the Nine Realms could be knocking after her at such an hour. The news of Loki’s death had spread like wildfire, not just throughout Asgard, but also through the neighbouring countries, and the servants had all been instructed by Thor, out of respect, not to disturb her unless it was an absolute emergency.

“Come in,” she finally thought to call, as Narvi settled again.

The door opened and Georgiana blinked in surprise. “Mama?”

“Oh, Georgiana, we heard!” Margaret Spencer exclaimed as she hurried across the room to embrace her daughter, and then, grasping her hands, frowned. “Darling, whose child is this?”

Georgiana felt like her heart had turned to lead. Well, it was now or never. “Ours, Mama. He’s my son; mine and Loki’s.” She blinked back a few tears at the mention of his name and took a deep breath. “I was going to tell you but...well, I just got so caught up in everything that’s happened and...” She trailed off.

Her mother stared and then a small smile broke over her face as she gently stroked Narvi’s face. Narvi seemed to frown up at her and shifted in Georgiana’s arms, wondering who this mysterious woman was. “He’s beautiful,” Margaret smiled, proudly.

“Yes,” Georgiana agreed. “I think he looks like his father.”

“But he’s got your eyes,” Margaret observed.

Georgiana sighed. “Mama, I just don’t know what to do. I mean...everything was so...well, not perfect...no, what am I saying? Of course it was perfect! And now...” This time there was no fighting the tears. Settling Narvi down in his cradle, she turned and faced her mother. “I don’t know how to go on!”

Margaret put her arms around her and Georgiana began to sob against her shoulder, feeling like a child again. “Oh, darling,” her mother murmured, rubbing her back, soothingly. It reminded her of the way Loki used to comfort her and Georgiana began to sob harder. “It will get easier,” Margaret went on. “Believe me, I know.”

“It’s just...first Frigga and now Loki...and Thor’s left too, and I’m sure that Odin can’t go on much longer without his wife. I just feel so alone.”

“You’re not alone, darling. You’ve got your son.” Margaret kissed her gently before releasing her, looking into her daughter’s tear-stained face. How quickly she had grown since her marriage. “And when you’re back in Althrop-”

“Althrop?” Georgiana interrupted, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes, fiercely. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, you’re coming back with me.” Her mother frowned. “Aren’t you?”

It was Georgiana’s turn to frown. “No. Mama, I can’t.”

“But you can’t stay here, not after what’s happened.”

“Why not?”

“Because Althrop’s your home.”

Georgiana straightened up and smoothed her skirts, attempting to pull herself together. “My home was wherever Loki was. Now he’s gone...” She paused, trying not to cry again, before continuing. “My home is wherever Narvi is. He was born in Asgard. This is his home, and therefore it’s my home too.”

“But Georgiana-”

Georgiana held up a hand to silence her. “Frigga died beside me, and she died asking me to take care of everyone as she would have done. I have a duty, Mama, to Asgard; for even though I’ll never be Queen, I am still technically Princess and therefore it’s my job to take over her role as the kingdom’s carer.” Dropping her hand, she thought to add “Besides, once Odin’s gone, there will only be me left. Thor’s disowned his claim to the throne so that makes Narvi next in line for it. And he can’t learn to care for his home if he is snatched away from it.”

Margaret listened to her daughter’s speech with wide eyes. Finally she smiled. “When did you become so grown up, G?”

Georgiana lowered her eyes to the floor. “I think it was when I was tricked into thinking that Loki wanted to marry me of his own accord.”

Margaret reached for her hand. “It’s just a pity that not even you could tame his dark side.”

Georgiana shot her head up at once. “What dark side? Don’t tell me you too were taken in by Odin’s ideas?”

“Oh, darling,” sighed her mother. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, especially now, but the man you married-”

“The man I married was a misunderstood trickster who needed some love and comfort in his life!” Georgiana snapped. “But the man I fell in love with was gentle, warm, caring, protective, good-!”

“Georgiana, the news is all around Althrop! People are talking about how you married a monster!”

“He loved me!” Georgiana cried. “He was no monster; he was my husband, my lover! He was the only good thing about this place!”

Then, suddenly worried that her shouting might have woken Narvi, she shot a worried glance in his direction. But her son was still sleeping peacefully in the cradle. Georgiana looked back at her mother. “I’m not going back to Althrop. I’m staying right here; as close to Loki as I can ever be now.”

“G,” her mother began.

“Don’t call me that. Loki hated it when people called me that.” Taking a deep breath, Georgiana walked to the door and opened it. “I don’t think we have anything left to say to one another. I hope you have a safe trip back to Althrop.”

Her eyes were on the corridor as she spoke, not on her mother. Margaret felt the sting of her words and tried one last attempt to reach past her daughter’s stubbornness. “Georgiana-”

“Goodbye, Mama,” Georgiana replied, her gaze and voice both steady.

Margaret sighed and then, making her decision not to approach her again, swept past her and down the stairs. The second she was out of sight, Georgiana closed the door, firmly but quietly and then leaned against it, her hands pressed up against the wood and her eyes closed.

“Thank heavens that’s over. I thought she’d never leave.”

Georgiana froze, her whole body stiff as a board as her eyes flew open. Her breath caught in her throat. For a moment she couldn’t decide whether what she had heard was real or just a figment of her own imagination. Loki clambered off the bed and as she heard his feet touch the ground and the creak of the mattress springs, she decided that no, it was real, it wasn’t just her mind playing out what she imagined Loki might say at that moment.

But was he real?

Loki quickly walked up behind her. “Georgiana, whatever you do, please don’t scream-”

Georgiana whirled around and slapped him with such a force that it took all of his willpower – and a great deal of stumbling – not to fall over. His whole body stung, not just his face, from the force of her blow. Now that, he told himself, was a slap. That woman of Thor’s hadn’t even come close to hurting him when she had done it, but no, Georgiana knew how to do it properly. If he had ever had doubts about loving her before, he certainly had none now.

Straightening up and feeling the heat of her blow with his palm, he took a deep breath and faced her. “Now I understand you’re angry but could you just let me-?”

Georgiana slapped him again; this slap just as forceful as the first, and once again it took all of his strength to stay upright. Now he understood that first slap had just been to check that he was flesh and blood and not another illusion whilst this second slap had been her anger coming out.

“You bastard!” Georgiana cried, her voice fierce but hushed as she clenched her fists. “How could you do that to me? How could you let me believe that you were-?”

Her voice broke and she rushed at him. Loki readied himself for whatever blows she was about to rain down upon him. To his relief, however, she simply threw her arms around his neck, buried her face in his shoulder and began to sob her heart out. Loki pulled her close and held her tightly, revelling in the feel of having her back in his arms. Georgiana clung to him, digging her fingers into his clothing just to make sure that he was really here.

“You’re alive,” she sobbed, her voice a little higher than usual. “I thought I’d never see you again. How could you let me think that?”

Loki tightened his grip on her, winding his fingers into her hair. “Well, I couldn’t tell you what I was planning in front of Thor, could I?”

Defeatedly, Georgiana shook her head against his shoulder and sighed. “And what was it this time?” Her words came out bitterly. “Another plan to seize Asgard?”

“I told you, I never cared about ruling Asgard.”

“Another plan to prove your worth to Odin, then?”

“Georgiana-”

“You promised me-”

Loki quickly held her at arms length and Georgiana stared at his sudden briskness. He looked straight into her eyes. “I promise you now that it had nothing to do with any of that.” Georgiana frowned, her eyes speaking the question for her, even as they clouded over with tears again. With a sigh, Loki pulled her back against him. “I hate seeing you cry,” he murmured, stroking her hair. “I hate seeing you in any distress or pain.” Georgiana finally relaxed into him and he sighed with relief. “All I planned to do when I agreed to help Thor was return here to you. I can’t stand being away from you another second; and I know I’ve only got myself to blame for it, but that was before I realised just how much I need you. To live.”

Georgiana allowed his words to sink in, feeling her tears dry on her face as she hugged him back and a rush of love stirred in her heart. Oh, if only her mother had been around to hear his impassioned speech of love for her. If only they’d all been there to hear it; Thor, Sif, the Warriors Three, Odin and everyone else who had ever doubted that Loki Laufeyson was in love with his wife; well, then they would have been singing a different tune entirely.

Even so, in spite of her relief at him being alive after all, she still felt angry, angry that he had hidden it from her, angry that he hadn’t just magicked himself back to her after his apparent “death” on Svartalfheim and told her that she would have to maintain the illusion of losing him to convince everyone that he really had died when in reality he was just pretending.

“When they told me you were dead,” she said, her body stiff as she pulled away to look him in the eyes, “I was a mess. I cried so much for you that I had to keep asking for dry sheets because I’d soaked them all with my tears. I shut myself away in here for hours, refusing to see anyone after Thor told me he was leaving. I was in so much pain-” She shuddered before continuing. “And I felt so alone. Do you have any idea what that feel like; being ripped apart like that? And all the time it was just some illusion?”

Loki waited until he was sure that she was finished before he cupped her face, gently, in his hands, wiping away any fresh tears that were starting to fall. “I know what I must have put you through,” he said, softly, willing her not to hate him for it. “And I hate myself for it. Georgiana, I’m more sorry than I can say.”

Closing his eyes, he pressed his lips against hers, and though Georgiana submitted, she didn’t allow him to claim her mouth the way he usually did. If he was truly sorry, then she was going to make sure of it.

“I don’t think that’s going to be enough,” she murmured as they broke apart.

The ache she had had in her heart now filled his, and Loki wrapped her in his arms again. Usually he scoffed at the idea of anyone begging anything of anyone else, but right now this was an emergency and he needed her to forgive him. “Georgiana, please,” he whispered, holding her tenderly, “I can’t live without you in my life. Please, tell me what I can do to make it up to you and I will do it, I swear; even if I have to run through fire and back.”

Georgiana couldn’t hold back a smile, although she managed to keep her voice serious. “I don’t think you need to go that far.”

“Then, what?”

Georgiana looked up at him and smiled. It was a wicked little smile that Loki wasn’t sure that he liked the look of all that much. Then, mischievously, Georgiana kissed him and as Loki returned it, wondering, and worrying, all the while what she had in store for him, he felt where her hands were moving to and quickly understood.

Oh, yes, he could do that for her, and more than gladly.


	30. Beauty Amid Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Crossover between the Thor film series and The Duchess.
> 
> Odin and Frigga arrange a marriage for Loki with Georgiana, believing she can tame the darkness within him. At first it seems like a marriage made in hell, but then, well, things change...

Some while later, Loki and Georgiana lay back in the safe, warm comfort of the bed they had always slept in up until Loki’s incarceration period – oh, it felt so good to make love in privacy again without the need for a smoke screen – catching their breath. It had been vigorous and passionate and Loki had spent every second of it making Georgiana feel well and truly loved. After all her patience and devotedness throughout their marriage, how could she deserve anything less than the best?

“I’m still furious with you,” Georgiana muttered, lifting her head to look at him. She was spread out on top of him, having previously been using his chest as a pillow, her hair ruffled and her eyes bright with wonderment and love. 

“I know,” Loki replied, his hands at her lower back, holding her against him. 

Georgiana looked at him and managed an apologetic smile. “I am sorry about the slapping, though.”

Loki chuckled. “Don’t be. I deserved it. At least you know how to deliver a slap, unlike Thor’s woman.” 

Georgiana laughed. “You need to know that when she did that it took all my self-control not to slap her back for it.”

“I’m touched.” Loki ran a hand up her spine, producing a shiver from her. “But your kisses more than made me feel better about it.”

Georgiana sighed, inwardly. Of course she forgave him; she had forgiven him after the second slap, in spite of still feeling angry with him. She cupped his face and looked him straight in the eyes. “Alright, you don’t need to keep complimenting me. I forgive you.”

She saw his eyes light up with relief as he kissed her again and she slid her arms around his neck and clung to him. “But my anger might still come out occasionally,” she murmured against his lips, “and I can’t promise that I’ll always be able to control myself.”

Loki grinned at her. “That’s fine; you’ve got every right to be angry." If it made her happy, then she could slap him as often as she liked. "Besides, as I said before, you’re very attractive when you’re fierce.”

“You’re too understanding,” Georgiana teased. 

How long ago it now seemed that he had said both those things to her. How much had changed since then. A thought suddenly struck him and he quickly rolled her over so that she was beneath him. Georgiana blinked up at him, curiously. “Georgiana, you know my background,” Loki began. 

“Oh, haven’t we been through this already?” Georgiana sighed, arching her back so that her body pressed tantalisingly against his. “I love you no matter what you’ve done.”

“I didn’t mean that.” Loki gave her an urgent look. “Not who I am, but what I am.” He quickly clambered off her and, taking a deep breath, willed the hidden genus of the Frost Giant race to reveal itself to her, finally. Seeing the blue skin and the red eyes, Georgiana found herself a little afraid at first as she thought of Laufey and the other Giants who had invaded Asgard and almost killed her. But then suddenly she reminded herself that Loki was not like them, no matter what he thought, and she found herself entranced, enthralled even, rather than scared. 

Loki turned to face her. “Can you love me like this?”

Georgiana nodded and got to her feet. She reached out her hand but he took a step back from her. “I’ll burn you with the cold like this.”

“Then change back so I can kiss you,” she whispered. 

Loki acquiesced and she folded her arms about him and kissed him, feeling him tremble slightly in relief that he hadn’t frightened her away. “Loki, I don’t care what you are as long as you’re mine,” Georgiana breathed. 

Loki beamed at her as he picked her up and carried her back to the bed. “I’m yours forever, my love.” Georgiana reached up to kiss him again, her heart racing. “Georgiana, you are the most wonderful person who ever lived,” Loki murmured against her mouth with each break in the kiss. “You’re my hope, my light, my beauty amid darkness-”

Georgiana quickly pulled away to look up at him. “Beauty amid darkness?”

Loki smiled as he pulled her close against him again. “All my life there’s been darkness. Some say it was the darkness in me, but perhaps they were wrong. But then you came along; like a pure white rose in a world of chaos.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You are the beauty amid the darkness in my life.”

“I like the sound of that,” Georgiana murmured back, cuddling up to him. Then, mischievously, she added “You know, there has been a rumour spreading around the palace about you.” Loki glanced at her and she smiled. “Thor started it. Something about you having loved me...what was the word, again? Oh, yes; always.”

Loki smiled. “Georgiana, I think I loved you the day I met you.”

Georgiana frowned up at him. “But I was five! And you were thirteen!”

“Does that matter? I didn’t know, of course. Back then, I thought that what I felt for you was a certain annoyance for you following me about like a lost puppy all the time.” Georgiana couldn’t help thumping her fist, softly, against his chest in mock indignation and he laughed, running a hand through her hair. “But now I think that I confused feelings of extreme dislike with something else completely.” 

Georgiana smiled. “I suppose it also would have been completely out of line for you to like me like that back then, given the age gap. I was a child and you were a teenager.”

Loki nodded. “That probably had something to do with it too.”

Georgiana shook her head slowly as she pressed closer to him. “Loki of Asgard, you really are the most unpredictable man I have ever met in my entire life. And yet I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else.”

They lay in silence for a while, both lost to their thoughts. Then Loki dared broach the subject he had been hoping to talk to her about since she had admitted to forgiving him. “You know,” he mused, playing with a strand of her hair, absently, “with Thor relinquishing his claim to the throne of Asgard-”

“It’s ours for the taking,” Georgiana finished. Loki glanced at her and she met his gaze with a smile. “Oh, yes. I’ve been thinking about it too.” She leaned up to kiss him. “I think it’s time that my favourite Asgard Prince was recognised as the King I know he is.”

Before Loki could respond, their son finally decided that he had had enough of sleeping and would much rather exercise his lungs. Georgiana sat up at once but to her surprise Loki got there before her, already magicked back into his clothes, and scooped Narvi out of the cradle, soothing him quietly. With a smile, Georgiana threw her dress – the Asgardian garment she had made that he liked her in so much – over her head and clambered off the bed. She had never quite got over just how paternal Loki was around their son and it filled her with a sense of devoted pride. 

“It’s alright,” Loki murmured, looking down at his son, who quietened instantly. He shot a glance at his wife. “I swear sometimes he does this just to check we haven’t forgotten about him.”

Georgiana laughed and wrapped her arms around both of them, the two men she loved so much. “That’s never going to happen,” she smiled down at their son, before turning to Loki. “What do you think? Will he follow in his father’s footsteps and be a great ruler of Asgard someday?”

He laughed. “Only if he has a Queen like you by his side; as I do.”

Wrapping one arm around her waist, he pulled her close and kissed her. Georgiana smiled against his lips. “I love you, Loki.”

Loki smiled. He might be the son of a Frost Giant but he craved warmth more than the cold, her warmth. “I love you too, Georgiana.”

“Then let us take Asgard.” Georgiana hugged him tightly and looked down at Narvi. Suddenly everything felt so right. Loki was back with her; they were back where they belonged, side by side, and with their son too. She felt him tighten his grip on her and smiled. “Together.”

Loki closed his eyes. There would be time for that, yes, although for now all he wanted to do was be with her, to prove once again the devotion of his feelings for her matched her own for him. But yes, when the time came, they would take Asgard. 

“Together,” he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that, my friends, is the story of how the Frost Giants came to take over and rule Asgard! Thank you to all the people who have read this fanfic and commented or left Kudos on it! I love you all so much for your support and hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it together! I just can't believe it's over!


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